Scripture reading – Ezekiel 20; Ezekiel 21
We are continuing our study of the Prophecies of Ezekiel, and you will notice today’s Scripture reading is lengthy (Ezekiel 20-21). A full commentary on those chapters will be too much for a daily devotional, therefore, I will limit this study to a highlight and pray it is a blessing.
Ezekiel 20 – God’s Coming Judgment Against Judah and Jerusalem
Once again, the “elders of Israel” came to Ezekiel, to “inquire of the LORD, and sat before [him]” (20:1). The response of the LORD to the inquiry of those leaders is instructive, for He was offended! (20:3) The LORD demanded of Ezekiel whether or not he would be bold and asked, “4Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them?” (20:4).
A Cycle of Rebellion (20:5-29)
The lesson for the elders of Israel was that Israel had perpetually followed a cycle of rebellion. Rather than impart a new revelation, the LORD instructed Ezekiel to remind the leaders how He dealt with Israel’s rebellion in the past.
He brought Israel out of Egypt, and commanded the people saying, “I am the LORD your God” (20:5). He admonished them to put away their idols (20:6-7). Yet, the people rebelled, and refused to cast aside their idols and worship the LORD alone (20:8-9).
In the wilderness, and when Israel encamped at Sinai, the people rebelled. The LORD warned that they would be consumed in the wilderness– all that He might vindicate His name (20:14). They “despised” His judgment, and refused to walk in His Commandments, nevertheless the LORD was merciful, and “spared them from destroying them” (20:17). Though their fathers perished in the wilderness, the LORD spared their children. Yet, they “rebelled against” the LORD, until He “withdrew” His hand from them (the hand that led, protected, and provided for them as a shepherd his sheep, 20:22). They had blasphemed the LORD’s name (20:27), and committed spiritual adultery, offering sacrifices to idols (20:28).
Lessons for Ezekiel’s Generation (20:30-31)
Like their forefather’s, Ezekiel’s generation was guilty of great evils, and followed in the wicked ways of their fathers. They sacrificed to idols (20:30), and sacrificed their sons to make them “pass through the fire” (20:31). Though the LORD had chosen Israel to be His people, they lived “as the heathen…to serve wood and stone” (idols, 20:32). For those reasons the LORD asserted, “I will not be inquired of by you” (20:31).
Israel had Forsaken the LORD, But He Would Not Forsake His Covenant (20:33-44)
In spite of their wickedness, the LORD promised He would one day gather His people, though they were scattered among the nations of the world (20:33-36). He would continue to discipline them “under the rod” until He brought them back to “the bond of the covenant” (20:37). He would remove the rebels, and they would “not enter the land of Israel,” to the end His people would “know” and confess Him as LORD (20:38).
Closing thoughts (20:45-49) – To what end were God’s judgments, and to what purpose were their sorrows and sufferings? It was that His people would know and confess Him as their LORD (20:41-42, 44). Indeed, the day would come when “all flesh” would see and know that which was done was the LORD!
Ezekiel 21 – The Judgment of the Righteous and the Wicked
Living in Babylon, but knowing the city of Jerusalem was under siege and thousands would perish, was difficult for those in captivity. The elders of Israel asked Ezekiel at the conclusion of chapter 20, “Doth He [the LORD] not speak parables?” (20:49)
Preach Against Jerusalem (21:2-7)
The LORD answered the inquiry, saying to Ezekiel, “2Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel” (21:2). No longer speaking in parables, the message was clear, the prophet was commanded to “say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked” (21:3).
The judgment of the LORD was imminent, for He was ready to draw His sword and judge “the righteous and the wicked” (21:3). “All flesh,” man, woman, boy, and girl would know it was the LORD that executes judgment (21:4-5). Ezekiel was commanded to sigh, and in so doing indicate the pain and sorrow the people would suffer (21:6-7).
Prepare to Face God’s Judgment (21:8-17)
God warned, His sword of judgment was sharpened, and it would be borne by Nebuchadnezzar, the executioner of His will (21:8-11). The LORD directed Ezekiel to dramatize the sufferings of Jerusalem, saying, “Cry and howl, son of man” (21:12). Ezekiel 21:14 described the swift violence that would come upon Jerusalem, and the great slaughter that would befall the people. None would escape (21:15), and all who fled the destruction would be slain (24:16-17).
Babylon was God’s Agent of Judgment (21:18-27)
Here we find a great spiritual lesson for nations that know the LORD and reject Him. The LORD left no doubt He was employing “the sword of the king of Babylon” (18:18-20), and Nebuchadnezzar’s army would attack the Ammonites, and lay siege to Jerusalem (21:20). Though he had consulted with his idols (21:22), the LORD used the king’s superstitious ways to draw him to Jerusalem and do His bidding (21:23).
With the mounds laid up against the walls of the city, and battering rams at the gates, the people would remember it was brought upon them because of their sins, and would remember all that had been prophesied (21:24). Zedekiah, the last king of Israel’s Davidic line, would be stripped of his crown, and abased (24:25-26), until Christ returns and comes to claim His throne, “whose right it is” for God promised, “I will give it Him” (21:27).
Closing thoughts (21:28-32) – Our study closes with God’s assurance that, unlike the children of Israel who would return to their land, the judgment of the Ammonites would be final, and they would “be no more remembered” (21:32).
Copyright © 2022 – Travis D. Smith
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