Recreation in Ezekiel 36
The most fundamental of Old Testament ideas is Yahweh as Creator. Beyond the familiar creation stories in Gen. 1 and 2, a number of other passages describe God’s acts of creation at length, including Job 38–40, Psa. 16; 74; 104, Prov. 8, Ezek. 28, and others. The concept of Yahweh as creator points obviously to God’s omnipotence and rightful place as ruler of the universe. For people of the Old Testament however, Yahweh’s role as creator implies the power to “recreate,” that is, to restore that which is barren and lifeless.
Theologically speaking, Yahweh as “recreator” is especially important during the exile period (586 to 538 BCE) in which many of the Israelites were removed from Israel to live in other parts of the Babylonian Empire. The Old Testament recounts this period as a time of devastation and ruin for the land of Israel. Therefore, as the exiles look to Yahweh, their recollection of God as creator provides hope that He might one day recreate the land. This idea undoubtedly affects the way the exiles both remember and apply their creation accounts.
I’d like to direct special attention to a particular text in Ezek. 36:16–38 which is important for Christians, with verse 26 being committed to memory by most. Whereas this verse references regeneration, as Yahweh promises to infuse new spirit into his people, the larger passage focuses on the restoration of the land of Israel in a way which clearly incorporates themes from the opening chapters of Genesis.
Gen. 2–4 details a downward spiral for humankind with special attention to man’s relationship to the soil. It is the soil that is first given attention in Gen. 2, as verse 5 notes that no one is available to till it. To address this dilemma, Yahweh creates a human from the soil, employing breath to give the human life. Yahweh then plants a garden and places man in it in order to work it. The man does not directly engage the soil at this point however, for verse 16 tells us that the only plants in the garden are actually trees. The man’s work is thus restricted to caring for these trees.
Farming does not come into play until after the fall, in Gen. 3:17–18. According to Gen. 2:9; 16, the man’s diet was to consist of fruit from trees. However, when Yahweh declares the ground to be cursed He makes an interesting comment, “and you shall eat the plants of the field.” Humans thus no longer have the luxury of a fruit-based diet. For sustenance they must now grow grains in order to make bread (Gen. 3:19). Humankind moves closer to the soil with a dark accompaniment of working the ground and heavy labor.
Yahweh’s insistence of man now working hard for food is a considerable factor for human expulsion from the garden. Not only does Yahweh wish to prevent humans from having access to the “Tree of Life;” He also wants man to “till the ground from which he was taken.” In a garden of fruit trees, man has no need to undertake this activity, however outside the garden, he is compelled to plant and harvest food.
Expulsion from the garden is followed by the account of Adam’s sons Cain and Abel in Gen. 4, a narrative which revolves around Cain, as Abel does not have a speaking role. Like his father, Cain also works the soil. In an ironic twist, as Cain works the ground per Yahweh’s command to Adam, his offering of fruits from the ground is not well regarded by Yahweh. Worse, the herd offerings of Abel rather, are found to be pleasing to Yahweh.
Yahweh then gives first mention of sin in Genesis, warning Cain that it is lurking, waiting for him. Sin in fact does come to Cain, causing him to murder his brother. Yahweh confronts Cain, detailing in three verses the connection between his act of murdering Abel to Cain’s new state in which he is cursed from the ground (Gen. 4:11). Having received the blood of Abel, it is not the ground that is defiled but it is Cain who is defiled, unable to receive the ground’s “strength” (Gen. 4:12). Cain can no longer live the life of a farmer and is forced to become a wanderer. Yet even here, this leads to human development, as Cain eventually does settle down, and becomes the first person to found a city with his descendants pioneering non-agricultural skills, including shepherding, metal working, and music.
Gen. 2–4 takes the form of narrative dealing with beginnings; beginning of life, humans, relationships, and sin. These mythical chapters seek to explain that life’s difficulties can be traced to human sin and rebellion. Myth can hold a special place in any culture, with teachings especially valued during times of crisis and change.
The Book of Ezekiel is set during such a period. From approximately 596 to 586 BCE, the southern kingdom of Judah was gradually conquered by the Neo Babylonian Empire, with many of Judah’s leaders being forced into exile. Ezekiel was purportedly written in stages between 596 and 538 BCE and focuses on the concerns of these exiles. Modern scholars often refer to it as ‘cathartic” literature, designed to help the exiles get through the traumatic experience of separation from their land while keeping their faith in Yahweh intact.
Ezek.36:16–38 is one of a number of passages giving simple explanation for the exile and promises of restoration. Verses 17–21 explain that the Israelites defiled their land through idol worship and immoral behavior. As a result, Yahweh punished them by sending them into exile. This brief historical/theological backdrop however, merely precedes a much longer message of hope and restoration. Yahweh promises to restore the ritual purity of his people, namely, cleansed hearts and souls. He follows this with restoration of the land of Israel.
Ezek. 36 adopts a number of ideas from Gen. 2–4, with verses 17–18 repeating the metaphor of blood defiling the land. Due to idolatry and bloodshed, the land becomes separated from the Judahites, who are “scattered through the countries” (Ezek. 36:19). Like Cain, the Judahites are forced away from the land because of their sin. Yet the theme of Ezek. 36 is not punishment, but restoration, reversing the downward spiral of the Genesis account. On account of His name, Yahweh Elohim (the name used for the deity in both Ezek. 36 and Gen. 2–3) determines to bring the Judahites back to their land and undo the curse brought on by the sin of the people. Yahweh’s ritual is instructive and although it is the land which was defiled in verses 17–18, Yahweh purifies the people of Judah in verses 25–27. He sprinkles purifying water not on the land, but on the exiles, and then restores them further giving them a new heart and new spirit which to better enable the Judahites to keep Yahweh’s laws. The force behind recreation is Yahweh’s ruah, his “spirit.” Just as Yahweh gave life to the first human through His breath, so Yahweh’s spirit restores the Judahites in Ezek. 36.
In Ezek. 36:29, Yahweh saves his people from the results of uncleanness, making the grain abundant so as to eliminate threats of famine. Yahweh’s purification of the people thus undoes the curse of Cain, allowing the ground to once again yield its fruit to Yahweh’s people. Focus is given to the land again in verse 34, saying that: what is visibly desolate will now be cultivated. Yahweh then takes this a step further, likening the restored land to the Garden of Eden. Yahweh’s people thus will no longer be separated from their mythical paradise. This Eden however is different from the Eden of Gen. 2. Whereas the Eden of Genesis consisted of trees only, the Eden of Ezekiel is cultivated with crops. In addition, the Eden of Genesis is far from city life, but the new Eden features inhabited, fortified towns. Eden therefore is no longer a rural forest in a fortress for Yahweh’s private pleasure, but is now part of the ideal society with fruitful cultivated land next to secure cities.
The exiles’ concept of Yahweh’s creative acts drives their ideas of recreation, as evidenced by the correlation of Ezek.36 with Gen.2–4. Israel’s barrenness in Ezek.36 follows the pattern of Gen. 4, with human sin being the cause of the land’s loss of productive power. Yahweh’s restoration undoes the damage, rendering the land fertile to the likes of the Garden of Eden. Yet in still, the new garden is not merely a replica of the old. Recreation is not going back to what was at the beginning. Instead, recreation moves forward, embracing concepts familiar to the exiles – cities, land cultivation while providing a new kind of hope for the future.
