Day 60 - Ezekiel 12:21 - 23:39

In today’s section, we read about:

A new proverb – now is the time when God does what he had promised
Judgment against false teachers and the idolatry of Israel’s leaders
Jerusalem – a useless vine and an unfaithful wife
The riddle of the two eagles (an allegory of the fate of the exiles and the remnant left behind)
God’s righteous justice
A funeral song for the kings of Israel
The story of Israel’s rebellion is recounted
A poem of God’s sword of judgment against Jerusalem and Ammon
The unfaithfulness of the two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem)

Some thoughts which occurred to me today:

The two phrases which echo through the passage today is again, “then [they/you] will know that I am the Lord” (12:20; 13:9,23; 14:8; 17:21; 20:20,26,37; 21:5; 22:15,22; 23:49); and “I, the Sovereign Lord have spoken” (12:24,28; 13:16; 14:11,23; 15:8; 16:63; 17:24; 20:44; 21:32; 22:31)

It is a pathetic spectacle to see what the Israelites are trying to do – they have listened to the false comfort of those who claimed they were speaking God’s words, even though God has not spoken. 13:10-12 sums up how pitiful it is “This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down. And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, ‘What happened to your whitewash?’”

I was intrigued in the section 14:12-20 to see the three names quoted. Moses is not one of them, but Daniel, who was a contemporary of Ezekiel was, and he must clearly have created a huge impression with the witness of his faithful obedience to God while in the Babylonian court. Matthew Henry’s commentary on this section says, “National sins bring national judgments. Though sinners escape one judgment, another is waiting for them. When God's professing people rebel against him, they may justly expect all his judgments. The faith, obedience, and prayers of Noah prevailed to the saving of his house, but not of the old world. Job's sacrifice and prayer in behalf of his friends were accepted, and Daniel had prevailed for the saving his companions and the wise men of Babylon. But a people that had filled the measure of their sins, was not to expect to escape for the sake of any righteous men living among them; not even of the most eminent saints, who could be accepted in their own case only through the sufferings and righteousness of Christ. Yet even when God makes the greatest desolations by his judgments, he saves some to be monuments of his mercy. In firm belief that we shall approve the whole of God's dealings with ourselves, and with all mankind, let us silence all rebellious murmurs and objections.”

Ch 15 is a hard lesson – Judah liked to boast that it was God’s vine, yet the vine is completely useless even as firewood. It is only valuable when bearing fruit – Jn 15:1-17.

Ch 16 starts with God explaining that Israel was an abandoned baby, bloody, dirty and discarded at the side of a road, yet God took her in and made her a beautiful queen (16:13). But Israel thought she had done it all herself and turned round and told God that she no longer needed him – ingratitude, arrogance and self-deception which soon led to idolatry and disaster. To highlight just how far Israel is fallen, God compares her unfavourably with Sodom. But all is not lost – 16:60-63 “Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant. And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

The riddle of the two eagles is another sign that the people of Judah should submit to God’s punishment and go into exile, rather than resist and seek an alliance with Egypt, which will lead to total ruin.

Ch 18 expands on what may (or may not) be a new principle as seen in Jer 31:30 – that everyone will die for his own sins, not for the sins of his father. There is warning and great hope – 18:21-22 “But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.” We also see the great love at the centre of God’s character, “do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live” (18:23). It is then summed up in 18:30-32, “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!”

Although the leaders listen to false prophets, they still ask for a sign directly from God (20:1). God’s reply reminds me of Matt 12:39 when the Jews come to Jesus and ask for a sign. Jesus response was telling, “Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”” Here, the sign they get is the history of God’s faithfulness and love for his people from the days of Abraham, met with repeated faithlessness from those who received this love.

I was struck by the contrast between God’s laws, to which obedience would have brought life (20:13,21) and the worthless decrees and regulations that God gave them over to (20:25)

It seems odd to me that the people thought Ezekiel was speaking in riddles (20:49) since it seems obvious to us what God’s message is. But this is a warning to be on our guard against complacency.

This morning at St Paul’s, Chris preached on 1 Cor 3, including v 12-15, which talks about our works being tested in the fire to show the quality of the materials used. Eze 22:17-22 shows us God issuing the same warning here to the people of Judah.

Ch 22 shows that after idolatry, the door is wide open for all sorts of other evils – injustice, cruelty, sexual immorality and oppression of the defenceless.