James M. Mcpherson An American Civil War Essay - 1397 Words

James M. McPherson: James McPherson was born on October 11th 1936, he is an American Civil War historian. He received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom, his most famous book. McPherson was the president of the American Historical Association in 2003, and is a member of the editorial board of Encyclopedia Britannica. In his early career McPherson wanted to leave a legacy as being known for the historian who focusses on more than one point. Through skillful narrative in a broad-ranging oeuvre of essays and books, McPherson has succeeded in telling both stories, combining social, political, and military history to reach a broad scholarly and popular audience, emphasizing all the while that the Civil War constituted a â€Å"second American Revolution.† Examining thousands of letters and diaries written by soldiers to gather a better insight and understanding, McPherson argued that deep political and ideological convictions about liberty, slavery, religion, and nation were the fundamen tal reasons that men on both sides enlisted and fought. McPherson’s views on the Civil War are broad in comparison to many other writers, he believes there are multiple causes to the war but that the underlying cause was slavery and that Southern states used the saying â€Å"States’ Rights† to justify their actions of slavery and secession. It became a psychological necessity for the South to deny that the war was about slavery that they were fighting for the preservation, defense andShow MoreRelatedThe American Civil War, By James M. Mcpherson1045 Words   |  5 Pagesformer,† wrote James M. McPherson in 1995.   â€Å"Why couldn’t I be both?† McPherson responded. â€Å"Surely it is possible to say something of value to fellow professionals while at the same time engaging a wider audience.† McPherson is indeed both.   In a career that has spanned four decades and garnered many of the historical profession’s top accolades, i ncluding a Pulitzer Prize, two Lincoln Prizes, the NEH’s Jefferson Lectureship in the Humanities, and a term as the president of the American Historical AssociationRead MoreThe Civil War: The Second American Revolution? Essay examples1083 Words   |  5 PagesThe Civil War has been described as one of the most important occurrences in the life of the United States. It was period in time when the United States was no longer united, but instead was split between the north and south due to the ongoing feud over of the legal standing of slavery nationwide. For four years, many people were subjected to horrific measures, especially the soldiers that participated in combat. Despite the brutality of battle, soldiers experienced a numerous amount of daily hardshipsRead MoreBattle Cry Of Freedom By James M. Mcpherson1244 Words   |  5 Pageshis book Battle Cry of Freedom, James M. McPherson, is a great american civil war historian. Born in Valley City, North Dakota on October 1 1, 1936 McPherson attended St. Peter High School. After graduation he attended Gustavus Adolphus College and in 1958 earned his bachelor’s degree with Magnum Cum Laude. He later attended John Hopkins University and earned his Ph.D. in 1963 and is now currently working as Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. McPherson is most well known for his workRead MoreEssay on What They Fought for708 Words   |  3 PagesWhat They Fought For 1861 - 1865 This book was a good analysis of Civil War soldiers diaries, and letters to their loved ones. Which explains what they were going through in their lives and what they fought for and risked their lives for in this conflict. In the book the author James M. McPherson uses information from l00s of diaries and letters from the soldiers to learn why they fought in this war. The Union soldiers fought to preserve the Nation that was created in 1776, to save itRead MoreHow A Soldier Can Fight And Kill People From His Own Country1562 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Civil War was gruesome war that was fought between a country divided. Abraham Lincoln once said â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand.† Even though we were all brought together as one nation, these two sides were polarized by their environment and beliefs. This war that tore apart a country, costed more than six hundred thousand lives. The Civil War altered history and is still relevant in the present. A bi g question people have today is how a soldier can fight and kill peopleRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Crossroads Of Freedom By James M. Mcpherson1167 Words   |  5 PagesEssay Two The book Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam, was written by James M. McPherson to argue why the Battle of Antietam was the battle that changed the cause of the Civil War. While McPherson argued this he also argues that the Civil War had many other turning points and was not settled by just one battle. McPherson’s targeted audience would have to be those interested in the Civil War and the events that led to it. McPherson wrote this great book which came to be an important contribution toRead MoreWhat They Fought For By James M. Mcpherson880 Words   |  4 Pages150 years, the Civil War had been the bloodiest war in the American history, also known as â€Å"The War Between the States† or â€Å"Brother Against Brother†, it was fought between the Union or the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. The war lasted four years from 1861 to 1865. What motivated these men to fight and what is the cause of the Civil War is a subject that many histor ians tried to find out. The book â€Å"What They Fought For† by the author James M. McPherson focuses moreRead MoreWho Freed the Slaves871 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Who Freed the Slaves The long standing question of â€Å"who freed the slaves† has been under debate since the conclusion of the Civil War. One side of the argument takes the more obvious claim that emancipation came at the hand of the great Abraham Lincoln. The other side of the argument claims that the Slaves themselves attained their freedom. Both sides have been heavily researched and strongly supported with many facts. Do we give credit to one person for generating the political backing andRead MoreComparative Analysis of Research Articles on Slavery1451 Words   |  6 Pagesthe freeing of slaves in the Civil War era. Two historians, James M. McPherson and Ira Berlin, respectfully express their contrasting views over these topics in this assignment. While I absolutely agree that the slaves in the Civil War era played a pivotal role in emancipating themselves and securing their civil liberties, it was unequivocally the actions of President Lincoln that led to their eventual freedom. McPherson, a professor at Princeton University and Civil War historian, describes in hisRead MoreAbraham Lincoln And The Second American Revolution957 Words   |  4 PagesMacPherson, James, Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution â€Å"Abraham Lincoln and The Second American Revolution†, written by James M. McPherson, one of America’s historians. McPherson has also written,† Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era†, â€Å"Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief†, â€Å"Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam† and many other history related books. â€Å"Abraham Lincoln and The Second American Revolution† consists of seven essays throughout on important themes in American history

Gender, Family Values And Work Ethics Of Young Women

Over the years there have been copious amounts of evidence suggesting that the ‘genderquake’ is delivering positive changes for women, especially for young women in western societies, to the extent it could be thought that young women are more empowered than generations beforehand. To establish the validity of the claim made by Boronski and Hassan (2015) I will be discussing the changing attitudes of women over the decades to establish the ways in which young women’s empowerment has advanced in comparison to the generations beforehand; ongoing work by government and society to further positive female change, such as new polices and reforms regarding STEM education; the ways in which positive strides for young women may negatively affect†¦show more content†¦Currently 10% of women between ages 25 and 30 have had 10 or more sexual partners, and of their mothers generation, at only 4% have had more than 10 sexual partners in their lifetime Bowie, C and Ford, N (1989). Showing that young women of today are not exactly exhibiting traits of their male counterpart, but more that values of the male and female are converging, possibly into a common good. There are still reverberations from the genderquake occurring, the effects from past generations are ongoing for the current generation and will be for many generations from now. Nicky Morgan has shown this time and time again through policies directed at empowering young women. Such as imposing legislations that ensure companies publish their gender wage gap, when the have 250 or more employees, having shared parental leave to working parents and ensuring that girls must have fair access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education. The STEM subject female management workforce has risen by 25% (Women on Boards: Davies Review Annual Report, 2015) in the last 2 years alone and in recent years, the female to male gap in pay has now narrowed to an outstanding 9.4%, and government’s continue to secure real and tangible equality for women and further reduce the pay gap, ensuring that women have the skills they need to get into highly paid professions, and are adequately paid when they ultimately break through the ‘glass’ (Hymowitz and Schellhardt, 1986).Show MoreRelatedApplication Of Social Work At The Millennium Summit768 Words   |  4 PagesAPPLICATION TO SOCIAL WORK In September of 2000 at the Millennium Summit world leaders gathered to adopt the UN Millennium Declaration that focused on changing their nations to reduce extreme poverty by the year 2015. The goals they declared are called the Millennium Development Goals. These goals address income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion. They promote gender-equality, education and environmental sustainability (†¦..). Goals 3, 4 and 5 all address in one wayRead MoreValues And Ethics Of Social Work904 Words   |  4 Pages Values and ethics are important in the field of social work because they serve as guidelines for behavior and conduct. What is social work exactly? A very simple and brief response is helping those in need and providing said persons with resources they could not attain on their own. It’s always aspiring to educate one’s self on new resources, information and newly developed theories. This is more than a career; this is a decision that makes one question the direction of their moral compass. PhilosopherRead MoreEssay about Applying the Sociological Imagination to Sole-parent Familes1352 Words   |  6 PagesThere is much debate on what constitutes as a family today. However, Ball (2002) states, â€Å"The concept of the traditional family†¦is not an immutable one. It is a social construct that varies from culture to culture and, over time, the definition changes within a culture† (pp. 68). There is a growing diversity of families today including the commonality of sole-parenting. In order to explore aspects of sole-parenthood objectively, I need to reflect and put aside my personal experience of growing upRead MoreTheories About The Conceptual Nature Of Institutions Throughout Sociology Essay1359 Words   |  6 Pagesinstitution is family. Some concepts include; The Nuclear Family; The privatisation of the Family; and Structural Functionalism. These three concepts coincide with one another. Families can be found in various cultures and society in some form or another. Schaefer (2009) defines the family â€Å"as a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society.† The family serves differentRead MoreWomen s Right For Equality1467 Words   |  6 Pagessociety there is a need for equality for men and women, we must allow our well-being to achieve success. Researchers have been doing research on society to find the dissimilarities between women and men. We as women are by far the largest minority in the United States. I could relate the most important social, political and economic trends of the century, upon the achievements, as well as their missteps. Though we are making an effort to improve women s right for equality, the American dream isRead MoreEssay - World View1307 Words   |  6 Pagesbirth with how and what we learn first determined by our parents and their beliefs and values. What aspects we will accept and what we will discard is shaped through our community and also collectively by our gender and age. I will show you how my position in a religious country town has formed how I approach education and why I constantly seek to learn. I will also show how being a female and more importantly a young female mother has and will continue to affect my attitudes towards education and higherRead MoreEssay On Patriotism944 Words   |  4 PagesAffordable Care Act and due to the lessons she learned at the Naval Academy (Yeager). McGrath explains and recounts these values in her viral campaign video â€Å"Told Me†. The advertisement Told Me persuades the viewers to vote for Amy McGrath by appealing obviously to the value of patriotism, but more subtly to the values of nontraditional gender roles and hard work. The value of patriotism is obviously seen through the images presented in the advertisement. Throughout the advertisement, Amy McGrathRead MoreAlice Munro s Boys And Girls And Jamaica Kincaid s Girl1524 Words   |  7 Pagesthe significance of women s role during the 1960 s. The story of Boys and Girls is in third person narration describing an eleven- year old girl. This story was published in 1968, a time when the second wave of feminism movement occurred. This story gives information about adult gender roles. The setting of the story is in Canada during the winter. The narrator is living in a fox- breeding farm which correlates to the North American culture in the 1960 s. In the 1960 s, women were stereotyped asRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1667 Words   |  7 Pagesin the women s movement. Books such as â€Å"Women and Economics,† written in 1898, are proof of her importance as a feminist. Here she states that women who learn to be economically independent can then create equality between men and women. 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The Visions of Ezekiel Free Essays

string(38) " and unshakable moral purpose of God\." God choses whomever He wants to give His messages to His people. In the Old Testament, God chose very specific people to give His message to Israel. Ezekiel, was a great man of God and very faithful to Him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Visions of Ezekiel or any similar topic only for you Order Now The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. The Lord allowed Ezekiel to have visions of which he traveled through, and heard the voice of the Lord. Ezekiel was obedient to the visions and listened to God’s voice and what He instructed him to do, no matter what the consequence was or how strange, terrifying, weird the message may have been for Israel. These visions can even be applied today in the modern day church and show how much God loves His people despite repetitive sin. The book of Ezekiel opens up with a vision that is quite startling in itself. The first major vision can be found in Ezekiel 1:4-28. A long passage with much detail, Ezekiel describes his first word from the Lord. After the vision, the Lord speaks directly to Ezekiel and gives him instruction. â€Å"And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that speak unto me. (2:1-2) We find that the prophet was so penetrated with awe at the sight of the glory of God in the mystical chariot, that â€Å"he fell upon his face;† and, while he was in this posture of adoration, he heard the voice mentioned here†¦. he who is sent by the God of all grace to the convert sinners must be influenced by the Holy Ghost; otherwise he can neit her be saved himself, nor become the instrument of salvation to others. â€Å"and set me on my feet†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat he might stand as a servant before his master, to receive orders. [1] This was Ezekiel’s reaction of the vision God imparted to him. He was a humble servant, he stood before his Master ready to do whatever He had for him. When he heard from the Lord that he was going to be going to a rebellious nation, the Lord instructed him to speak that the nation was going to fall if they did not change their ways. They had become such a defiled nation, the Lord was determined to show them just how awful they had become. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, he writes of the symbolic actions the Lord asks of him. Some of these consist of Ezekiel eating the scroll that God gave him to eat (3:1-3), sleeping on his side symbolizing the sin of the ouse of Israel (4:4) , shaving, burning and scattering his hair (5:1-17) packing his belongings and leaving for exile as a sign to the prince of Jerusalem (12:1-16). Ezekiel was a faithful servant that loved his Master. It did not matter if the request was too ludicrous, he trusted that whatever the Lord asked of him, it was for a reason. Not only did these actions give signs to Israel, but th ey also revealed to Ezekiel the heart of the Lord. His desires for a holy nation. Important Vision #2: Ezekiel 8-11. In chapter 8 Ezekiel’s vision starts out and talks about false values. What is amiss with the nation is that it is corrupt at this center, that as repudiated the God who made it a people and has replaced him by the gods of the surrounding countries. A false religion perverts its life and threatens catastrophe. [2] This issue of idolatry is not just a new problem for Israel. This has been a consistent problem throughout history. God made these people His and they are turning from Him. God always displays His glory to Israel, yet they fail to obey Him. Ezekiel goes through many different types of idolatry and images that the Israelites use to take the place of Father God. In this passage, Ezekiel also finds evidence of the worship of the Babylonian deity Tammus (8:14) and of the sun god (8:16). Because of these and other impure practices, Ezekiel declares that Yahweh will destroy the city. His words are so power that one of the Judean idolaters, a man named Pelatiah, falls down dead (11:13)[3] Ezekiel must not have been too pleased with that event, but he knew he needed to listen to the voice of the Lord speaking unto him. Important Vision #3 Ezekiel 37:1-14. This is perhaps the most well known passage in Ezekiel. â€Å"The Dry Bones. In this vision the Lord is as a teacher and instructs Ezekiel. Ezekiel is brought to a valley of dry bones and the Lord asks him to prophesy of the dry bones. When he did that, the flesh reappear on these bodies. The Lord explains the meaning of he vision in verses 11-14. The bones symbolize the â€Å"whole house of Israel,† which had given up any hope of being revived as a nation. They had been buried, as it wer e, in the foreign lands to which they had been exiled. But the Lord would open their graves and bring them back to the land. His Spirit would infuse the nation, and it would once again life. 4] â€Å"I will put my ruach within you. : What does the word mean this time? What can it mean, but Holy Spirit? Israel’s restoration lies beyond human power, but not beyond the power of God. Notice the sequence of promised event. First, â€Å"you shall live. † Before the physical restoration can take place, there must be a renewal of faith. Second, â€Å"I will place you in your own land. † The physical restoration will take place. And third, â€Å"you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it. † In 36:31 Ezekiel shows the turned exiles in bitter repentance as they think upon the past. Here he shows them lost in reverence as they acknowledge the power and unshakable moral purpose of God. You read "The Visions of Ezekiel" in category "Essay examples" [5] Now, in the book of Ezekiel, there is not much, if any, information on how Israel responded or how Ezekiel shared these prophecies. However, as mentioned above, he was a faithful servant. Everything that he said came directly from the Lord. How interesting it must have been to be a friend of Ezekiel during that time; God speaking so clearly and so specifically about Israel, His plans for the sinners, the righteous, the enemies, anyone, and how to return to the Lord God of Israel. With Ezekiel, God did not force Israel to listen, He gave the option and they had to choose. This is a reminder that God does pursue those whom He loves, but He also wants His people to come to Him out of freedom. The Last Major Vision of Ezekiel: 40-48. This last section has extreme detail of the temple and how it should be built. Furthermore, the Lord gives instructions to Ezekiel to tell the Israelites that it is time to rebuild God’s house. This is a reminder to the Israelites. It would be extremely humbling to them for them to have to rebuild their worship place to God. But, God did not do this for embarrassment, He did this to remind the people of Israel that He was still going to be their God and that He still desperately wanted to be loved and served by them. He chose them for a reason, and He wanted them to know His love like no other. This portion is as a reestablishment of the law and how to live according to the law. In Ezekiel 43:10-12 it says, â€Å"Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple-its arrangement, its exit and entrances–its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. This is the law of the temple: all the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy, such is the law of the temple. † This passage gives an answer of how the Lord expects the Israelites to respond to His message of repentance. The idea of building the temple will draw them to repentance and reveal their sin to them regardless. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, one sees the closeness that he has with the Lord. He takes Ezekiel by the hand and carefully explains what He says to Israel, and He reveals His very personal feelings and plans with Ezekiel. How wonderfully scary it must have been for Ezekiel to experience His strong glory and presence for so many years. â€Å"It was nineteen years since Ezekiel had seen the vision of the glory of the Lord leaving His temple (10:18-22; 11: 22-24). Now he sees His return, to occupy and to consecrate this new building to be His holy sanctuary. His appearance was the same as it had been before by the river Chebar (yet another link which this closing vision has with Ezekiel’s earlier work) and it prompted the same response of awe and adoration. The angelic guide is still with Ezekiel and will continue to explain and instruct him in the law of the temple, but at this point there is a special word from the Lord out of the temple, which is virtually a statement of consecration. [6]† In a couple passages above, the writer talks about the word ruach being used. This word is parallel to the Greek word in the New Testament, Pneuma, which is typically used for describing the Holy Spirit. This is an extremely fascinating word that the Lord uses. As many people assume that the Holy Spirit is not active in the Old Testament, the Lord proves every one of those people wrong. In the example of â€Å"The Dry Bones† Ezekiel prophesy’s to the bones, then prophesy’s to the actual Holy Spirit to breathe life into those dry bones. He willed it to happen out of obedience to the Lord and what He told him to prophesy over and to these dry bones. Not only does the Holy Spirit speak to him, but He actually transports him to different spots. [7] This particular study of Ezekiel has taught me of God’s heart for His nation. Although they have all sinned greatly against Him, it is His heart to have them serving Him again. Not as slaves, but having a real relationship with Him. That is why He created human beings to begin with, God is a relational God. As much as I knew this before, I think it is far too easy to assume that because you may not visually see God doing and working things out in your life, that He does not care or exist. In Ezekiel, you see that God uses every part of Himself to draw His people back to Him, almost in an underlying message to say, â€Å"Please come back to Me, I just love you so much and I miss you. I miss you Israel, I just want to be with you again, I want you to want Me again. I want you to see what you have done against Me, not so that I can punish you, but so that there will not be anything between us again and we can freely commune. Look! I’ll even give you instructions of how to build the temple and the laws that I have for you to follow. Just please come back, not because I need you, but because I want you. † As God gives this message to His people, through Ezekiel, I think that Ezekiel also senses this great love for a disobedient people. Because Ezekiel can feel the Lord’s heart towards Israel, being so fully devoted to God, it allows the Father to take control of Ezekiel’s heart and reveal incredible love to him. The OT in general and the prophets in particular presuppose and teach God’s sovereignty over all creation, over people and nations and the course of history. And nowhere in the Bible are God’s initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. From the first chapter, which graphically describes the overwhelming invasion of the divine presence into Ezekiel’s world, to the last phrase of Ezekiel’s vision (à ¢â‚¬Å"the Lord is there†) the book sounds and echoes God’s sovereignty. This sovereign God resolved that he would be known and acknowledged. Approximately 65 occurrences of the clause (or variations) â€Å"Then they will know that I am the Lord† testify to that divine desire and intention (see note on 6:7). Overall, chs. 1–24 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. 25–32 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. 33–48 promise that God will be known through the restoration and spiritual renewal of Israel. God’s total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. He is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He can respond to his people’s sin by leaving his sanctuary in Israel, and he can graciously condescend to visit his exiled children in Babylon. God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. He allows the total dismemberment of Israel’s political and religious life so that her renewed life and his presence with her will be clearly seen as a gift from the Lord of the universe. Furthermore, as God’s spokesman, Ezekiel’s â€Å"son of man† status (see note on 2:1) testifies to the sovereign God he was commissioned to serve. [8] This last statement is incredible. God consistently refers to Ezekiel as the Son of man, it shows that God trusts him and that He had a specific plan for him to serve Him. In application to my life, I think that the biggest lesson one can learn is how to submit to the Lord and listen to His voice no matter what it is saying. Sometimes He may make no sense and it can be very scary, but just as Jesus says in John 10:27, â€Å"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;† When one’s heart is devoted to God, he can be sure that the Lord will direct his steps. Another important lesson, God really, really, REALLY loves His kids. It does not matter how awful we are, how many times we walk away thinking that we can do a better job at running our life than He can, how many times we break His heart, it is His desire to be with us, even if that means us leaving Him a hundred times, His love will draw us back a hundred and one times. ———————- [1] Adam Clarke, Clarkes Commentary: Job Malachi (Nashville: Abingdon Pr, 1977), 428 [2] Buttrick, George Arthur. The Interpreter’s Bible: The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with General Articles and Introduction, Exegesis, Exposition for Each Book of the Bible . (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951), 105 [3] James D. Newsome and Jr, The Hebrew Prophets (Atlanta, GA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986), 126 [4] Robert B. Chisholm and Jr, Handbook On the Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, 2002), 270 [5] Andrew W. Blackwood Jr. and Ezekiel-Prophecy of Hope (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Book House,1965), 224-225 [6] John B. Taylor, Ezekiel (tyndale Old Testament Commentaries), 1ST ed. (Downers Grove, Ill,; Intervarsity Pr, 1969), 264 [7] Leon J. Wood, Prophets of Israel, The (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998), 358 [8] http://www. biblica. com/niv/study-bible/ezekiel/ accessed March 8th, 2013. How to cite The Visions of Ezekiel, Essay examples The Visions of Ezekiel Free Essays string(78) " reverence as they acknowledge the power and unshakable moral purpose of God\." God choses whomever He wants to give His messages to His people. In the Old Testament, God chose very specific people to give His message to Israel. Ezekiel, was a great man of God and very faithful to Him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Visions of Ezekiel or any similar topic only for you Order Now The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. The Lord allowed Ezekiel to have visions of which he traveled through, and heard the voice of the Lord. Ezekiel was obedient to the visions and listened to God’s voice and what He instructed him to do, no matter what the consequence was or how strange, terrifying, weird the message may have been for Israel. These visions can even be applied today in the modern day church and show how much God loves His people despite repetitive sin. The book of Ezekiel opens up with a vision that is quite startling in itself. The first major vision can be found in Ezekiel 1:4-28. A long passage with much detail, Ezekiel describes his first word from the Lord. After the vision, the Lord speaks directly to Ezekiel and gives him instruction. â€Å"And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that speak unto me. (2:1-2) We find that the prophet was so penetrated with awe at the sight of the glory of God in the mystical chariot, that â€Å"he fell upon his face;† and, while he was in this posture of adoration, he heard the voice mentioned here†¦. he who is sent by the God of all grace to the convert sinners must be influenced by the Holy Ghost; otherwise he can neit her be saved himself, nor become the instrument of salvation to others. â€Å"and set me on my feet†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat he might stand as a servant before his master, to receive orders. [1] This was Ezekiel’s reaction of the vision God imparted to him. Read Essay In Westminster Abbey Analysis He was a humble servant, he stood before his Master ready to do whatever He had for him. When he heard from the Lord that he was going to be going to a rebellious nation, the Lord instructed him to speak that the nation was going to fall if they did not change their ways. They had become such a defiled nation, the Lord was determined to show them just how awful they had become. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, he writes of the symbolic actions the Lord asks of him. Some of these consist of Ezekiel eating the scroll that God gave him to eat (3:1-3), sleeping on his side symbolizing the sin of the ouse of Israel (4:4) , shaving, burning and scattering his hair (5:1-17) packing his belongings and leaving for exile as a sign to the prince of Jerusalem (12:1-16). Ezekiel was a faithful servant that loved his Master. It did not matter if the request was too ludicrous, he trusted that whatever the Lord asked of him, it was for a reason. Not only did these actions give signs to Israel, but th ey also revealed to Ezekiel the heart of the Lord. His desires for a holy nation. Important Vision #2: Ezekiel 8-11. In chapter 8 Ezekiel’s vision starts out and talks about false values. What is amiss with the nation is that it is corrupt at this center, that as repudiated the God who made it a people and has replaced him by the gods of the surrounding countries. A false religion perverts its life and threatens catastrophe. [2] This issue of idolatry is not just a new problem for Israel. This has been a consistent problem throughout history. God made these people His and they are turning from Him. God always displays His glory to Israel, yet they fail to obey Him. Ezekiel goes through many different types of idolatry and images that the Israelites use to take the place of Father God. In this passage, Ezekiel also finds evidence of the worship of the Babylonian deity Tammus (8:14) and of the sun god (8:16). Because of these and other impure practices, Ezekiel declares that Yahweh will destroy the city. His words are so power that one of the Judean idolaters, a man named Pelatiah, falls down dead (11:13)[3] Ezekiel must not have been too pleased with that event, but he knew he needed to listen to the voice of the Lord speaking unto him. Important Vision #3 Ezekiel 37:1-14. This is perhaps the most well known passage in Ezekiel. â€Å"The Dry Bones. In this vision the Lord is as a teacher and instructs Ezekiel. Ezekiel is brought to a valley of dry bones and the Lord asks him to prophesy of the dry bones. When he did that, the flesh reappear on these bodies. The Lord explains the meaning of he vision in verses 11-14. The bones symbolize the â€Å"whole house of Israel,† which had given up any hope of being revived as a nation. They had been buried, as it wer e, in the foreign lands to which they had been exiled. But the Lord would open their graves and bring them back to the land. His Spirit would infuse the nation, and it would once again life. 4] â€Å"I will put my ruach within you. : What does the word mean this time? What can it mean, but Holy Spirit? Israel’s restoration lies beyond human power, but not beyond the power of God. Notice the sequence of promised event. First, â€Å"you shall live. † Before the physical restoration can take place, there must be a renewal of faith. Second, â€Å"I will place you in your own land. † The physical restoration will take place. And third, â€Å"you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it. † In 36:31 Ezekiel shows the turned exiles in bitter repentance as they think upon the past. Here he shows them lost in reverence as they acknowledge the power and unshakable moral purpose of God. You read "The Visions of Ezekiel" in category "Papers" [5] Now, in the book of Ezekiel, there is not much, if any, information on how Israel responded or how Ezekiel shared these prophecies. However, as mentioned above, he was a faithful servant. Everything that he said came directly from the Lord. How interesting it must have been to be a friend of Ezekiel during that time; God speaking so clearly and so specifically about Israel, His plans for the sinners, the righteous, the enemies, anyone, and how to return to the Lord God of Israel. With Ezekiel, God did not force Israel to listen, He gave the option and they had to choose. This is a reminder that God does pursue those whom He loves, but He also wants His people to come to Him out of freedom. The Last Major Vision of Ezekiel: 40-48. This last section has extreme detail of the temple and how it should be built. Furthermore, the Lord gives instructions to Ezekiel to tell the Israelites that it is time to rebuild God’s house. This is a reminder to the Israelites. It would be extremely humbling to them for them to have to rebuild their worship place to God. But, God did not do this for embarrassment, He did this to remind the people of Israel that He was still going to be their God and that He still desperately wanted to be loved and served by them. He chose them for a reason, and He wanted them to know His love like no other. This portion is as a reestablishment of the law and how to live according to the law. In Ezekiel 43:10-12 it says, â€Å"Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple-its arrangement, its exit and entrances–its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. This is the law of the temple: all the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy, such is the law of the temple. † This passage gives an answer of how the Lord expects the Israelites to respond to His message of repentance. The idea of building the temple will draw them to repentance and reveal their sin to them regardless. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, one sees the closeness that he has with the Lord. He takes Ezekiel by the hand and carefully explains what He says to Israel, and He reveals His very personal feelings and plans with Ezekiel. How wonderfully scary it must have been for Ezekiel to experience His strong glory and presence for so many years. â€Å"It was nineteen years since Ezekiel had seen the vision of the glory of the Lord leaving His temple (10:18-22; 11: 22-24). Now he sees His return, to occupy and to consecrate this new building to be His holy sanctuary. His appearance was the same as it had been before by the river Chebar (yet another link which this closing vision has with Ezekiel’s earlier work) and it prompted the same response of awe and adoration. The angelic guide is still with Ezekiel and will continue to explain and instruct him in the law of the temple, but at this point there is a special word from the Lord out of the temple, which is virtually a statement of consecration. [6]† In a couple passages above, the writer talks about the word ruach being used. This word is parallel to the Greek word in the New Testament, Pneuma, which is typically used for describing the Holy Spirit. This is an extremely fascinating word that the Lord uses. As many people assume that the Holy Spirit is not active in the Old Testament, the Lord proves every one of those people wrong. In the example of â€Å"The Dry Bones† Ezekiel prophesy’s to the bones, then prophesy’s to the actual Holy Spirit to breathe life into those dry bones. He willed it to happen out of obedience to the Lord and what He told him to prophesy over and to these dry bones. Not only does the Holy Spirit speak to him, but He actually transports him to different spots. [7] This particular study of Ezekiel has taught me of God’s heart for His nation. Although they have all sinned greatly against Him, it is His heart to have them serving Him again. Not as slaves, but having a real relationship with Him. That is why He created human beings to begin with, God is a relational God. As much as I knew this before, I think it is far too easy to assume that because you may not visually see God doing and working things out in your life, that He does not care or exist. In Ezekiel, you see that God uses every part of Himself to draw His people back to Him, almost in an underlying message to say, â€Å"Please come back to Me, I just love you so much and I miss you. I miss you Israel, I just want to be with you again, I want you to want Me again. I want you to see what you have done against Me, not so that I can punish you, but so that there will not be anything between us again and we can freely commune. Look! I’ll even give you instructions of how to build the temple and the laws that I have for you to follow. Just please come back, not because I need you, but because I want you. † As God gives this message to His people, through Ezekiel, I think that Ezekiel also senses this great love for a disobedient people. Because Ezekiel can feel the Lord’s heart towards Israel, being so fully devoted to God, it allows the Father to take control of Ezekiel’s heart and reveal incredible love to him. The OT in general and the prophets in particular presuppose and teach God’s sovereignty over all creation, over people and nations and the course of history. And nowhere in the Bible are God’s initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. From the first chapter, which graphically describes the overwhelming invasion of the divine presence into Ezekiel’s world, to the last phrase of Ezekiel’s vision (à ¢â‚¬Å"the Lord is there†) the book sounds and echoes God’s sovereignty. This sovereign God resolved that he would be known and acknowledged. Approximately 65 occurrences of the clause (or variations) â€Å"Then they will know that I am the Lord† testify to that divine desire and intention (see note on 6:7). Overall, chs. 1–24 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. 25–32 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. 33–48 promise that God will be known through the restoration and spiritual renewal of Israel. God’s total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. He is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He can respond to his people’s sin by leaving his sanctuary in Israel, and he can graciously condescend to visit his exiled children in Babylon. God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. He allows the total dismemberment of Israel’s political and religious life so that her renewed life and his presence with her will be clearly seen as a gift from the Lord of the universe. Furthermore, as God’s spokesman, Ezekiel’s â€Å"son of man† status (see note on 2:1) testifies to the sovereign God he was commissioned to serve. [8] This last statement is incredible. God consistently refers to Ezekiel as the Son of man, it shows that God trusts him and that He had a specific plan for him to serve Him. In application to my life, I think that the biggest lesson one can learn is how to submit to the Lord and listen to His voice no matter what it is saying. Sometimes He may make no sense and it can be very scary, but just as Jesus says in John 10:27, â€Å"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;† When one’s heart is devoted to God, he can be sure that the Lord will direct his steps. Another important lesson, God really, really, REALLY loves His kids. It does not matter how awful we are, how many times we walk away thinking that we can do a better job at running our life than He can, how many times we break His heart, it is His desire to be with us, even if that means us leaving Him a hundred times, His love will draw us back a hundred and one times. ———————- [1] Adam Clarke, Clarkes Commentary: Job Malachi (Nashville: Abingdon Pr, 1977), 428 [2] Buttrick, George Arthur. The Interpreter’s Bible: The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with General Articles and Introduction, Exegesis, Exposition for Each Book of the Bible . (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951), 105 [3] James D. Newsome and Jr, The Hebrew Prophets (Atlanta, GA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986), 126 [4] Robert B. Chisholm and Jr, Handbook On the Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, 2002), 270 [5] Andrew W. Blackwood Jr. and Ezekiel-Prophecy of Hope (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Book House,1965), 224-225 [6] John B. Taylor, Ezekiel (tyndale Old Testament Commentaries), 1ST ed. (Downers Grove, Ill,; Intervarsity Pr, 1969), 264 [7] Leon J. Wood, Prophets of Israel, The (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998), 358 [8] http://www. biblica. com/niv/study-bible/ezekiel/ accessed March 8th, 2013. How to cite The Visions of Ezekiel, Papers