Eze 20:1

Eze 20: “The importance of recognising the principles of Goodness and Severity is brought before us in this chapter. Eze 20 commences a new section of the prophecy. Previously (Eze 8-19) the sin of Jerusalem has been described, but from Eze 20-25 the prophecy covers the period between the final drift of the nation into revolt (590 BC; Eze 24:1). While covering much of the ground already traverses, the prophet now goes deeper, and lays bare the deeper reason for Jerusalem’s sin. God takes it as an affront when those come to inquire of Him who are resolved to go on in their trespasses. His judgment in Egypt, in the wilderness and in the Land, illustrate that principle. His purpose requires the ultimate redemption of Israel, but that will be accomplished only through judgment, and the purging out of rebels. So Ezekiel records the judgment of the Deity: (1) Yahweh refuses the elder’s enquiry: vv 1-4. (2) Israel’s rebellion in Egypt: vv 5-9. (3) Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness: vv 10-17. (4) The generation that followed, which entered the Land: vv 18-26. (5) Israel’s apostasy while in the Land: vv 27,28. (6) Ezekiel’s own generation: vv 30-32. (7) The triumph of Yahweh in the final redemption: vv 33-44. (8) The doomed city and the sighing prophet, with sharpened sword: vv 45-49” (GEM).

Eze 20:4

WILL YOU JUDGE THEM? WILL YOU JUDGE THEM, SON OF MAN?: Repetition; an impatient imperative: ‘You will most certainly judge them!’ Cp Eze 22:2; 23:36.

Eze 20:5

Vv 5-26: Summary of Israel’s history: her repeated failures, until Ezekiel’s day.

AND REVEALED MYSELF TO THEM IN EGYPT: Revelation of a new name (and purpose) to Moses: Exo 3:7,13-15.

Eze 20:7

Even at this early stage, your fathers had transgressed.

Eze 20:8

BUT THEY REBELLED AGAINST ME…: Cp Psa 106:7,29,33,43.

Eze 20:9

I HAVE REVEALED MYSELF: The signs and wonders: plagues and Passover.

Eze 20:10

God enters into covenant with Israel: Exo 19:1–24:7,8.

Eze 20:11

THE MAN WHO OBEYS THEM WILL LIVE BY THEM: “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them” (Lev 18:5).

Eze 20:13

THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL REBELLED AGAINST ME: Exo 32:1,31-33…

Eze 20:15

Their rebellion, at the very edge of the Land of Promise (Num 14:2,3,29-32), leading to 38 more years in the wilderness.

Eze 20:21

They continue to rebel, even after being punished.

Eze 20:23

The warnings of Lev 26:33; Deu 28:64.

Eze 20:26

I LET THEM BECOME DEFILED: God gave them over to corruption: Rom 1:28; 2Th 2:11.

Eze 20:27

Vv 27-32: The sinful state of Israel, in Ezekiel’s day.

Eze 20:29

BAMAH: Sig “high places” — where all altars were. The Lord had confronted His people with their use of the high places or hilltops for idolatry. The name of the high places, “Bamah”, had a double significance. It meant “high place,” but it also meant literally “go where” or “go what” (Heb ‘ba mah’). Thus Bamah became a contemptuous pun. When the people went to the high places to worship idols, where were they going? They were going nowhere of any significance, to do nothing of any importance, since these idols were nonentities (they were, in the sarcastic phrase of the apostle Paul, “no-gods”: 1Co 8:4; 10:19,20) and could not help them. The name Bamah said more about these places than just identifying them as high places of worship, and the Lord had perpetuated the name Bamah for this reason.

Eze 20:32

LIKE THE NATIONS, LIKE THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD: As though a perfect conformity to heathen customs was a consummation to be greatly desired.

Eze 20:33

Vv 33-44: Working of god with Israel from Ezekiel’s day until consummation.

Eze 20:34

Even those in Land were still in bondage: cp prayer, etc of Luk 1:68-74. The Jews, all their lifetimes, were subject to bondage (Heb 2:15).

Eze 20:35

I WILL EXECUTE JUDGMENT: “I will plead” (KJV) is erroneous. This word means to accuse, to indict — a judicial term. (Christ was sent to Israel to declare holy name of God, to deliver by his “passover/exodus” (Luk 9:31).

Eze 20:37

AS YOU PASS UNDER MY ROD: The rod was for counting and dividing. Israel passed under the Good Shepherd’s rod of correction, and the tenth part were chosen (Lev 27:32).

Eze 20:38

THOSE WHO REVOLT AND REBEL: There were rebels in the New Covenant ecclesia as well. Many Jews were dispersed immediately, AD 70, while many Jewish converts later returned to the weak and beggarly elements under which they had been in bondage (Gal 4:9).

Eze 20:42

Before being brought into the Land again, Israel will be purged (v 38) and brought under the covenant of God again (v 37) — i.e. the “new” covenant (Jer 31:31-34). National repentance in anticipation of the return of Christ: Zec 12:10-14.

Eze 20:45

Eze 20:45 — 21:32: A ruin, “until he come!”

Eze 20:46

Vv 46-49: Against the forests of the south: 3 words for south: “teman” = right hand (if looking east); “darom” = south point of compass; and “negev” = desert/wilderness south of Judea.

Eze 20:47

FIRE: Judgment of fire: Eze 5; 10; 15; Jer 1:14; 4:6; 6:1.

BOTH GREEN AND DRY: The seeming undeserving with the ones ready for destruction: cp Eze 21:3.

EVERY FACE: Sig a definite judgment upon PEOPLE, not just upon the land in general.

Eze 20:49

“Is he not a maker of allegories?” (RSV). In answer, Ezekiel received a second, similar vision: Eze 21.

Eze 21:1

Vv 1-7: A forest fire against Jerusalem.

Eze 21:3

THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED: The green and the dry of Eze 20:4-7. The righteous are not exempted from the judgments on the world.

Eze 21:4

SOUTH: “Negev” of Eze 20:47.

Eze 21:8

Vv 8-17: The sword of Yahweh.

Eze 21:10

Against the protest of Ezekiel’s listeners, even the kingly rod of Judah will be condemned by Yahweh’s sword along with the other trees. “It shall be no more” (v 27)… until… v 13.

Eze 21:18

Vv 18-24: Nebuchadnezzar is revealed as the “sword”.

Eze 21:21

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Pro 16:33).

THE JUNCTION OF THE TWO ROADS: The ancient trade routes diverged at Damascus.

Eze 21:22

INTO HIS RIGHT HAND WILL COME THE LOT FOR JERUSALEM: Facing south at the parting of the roads, the right hand would lead toward Jerusalem.

Eze 21:25

Vv 25-27: Destruction and restoration.

” ‘And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem and take off the crown; this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more UNTIL HE COMES WHOSE RIGHT IT IS; and I will give it him’ [Eze 21:25-27].

“Here was a diadem to be removed, a crown to be taken off, and a national polity to be completely abolished, as indicated in the triple repetition of the verb, ‘overturn,’ and as expressed by the phrase, ‘it shall be no more.’ The prediction related to things Jewish, even to the things which constitute the throne of David; and its fulfillment is notorious to every reader of Jewish history. About a year after its delivery, Zedekiah was uncrowned by Nebuchadnezzar. The nobles were put to death; the nation was partly massacred, and partly carried away captive, and the land given over to desolation. Seventy years after, a partial restoration took place under Ezra and Nehemiah, but not of the throne of David. The Jews existed as a vassal people thenceforward; and after varied political fortunes, were overtaken by a storm which swept away every vestige of their national existence.

“The Romans, under Vespasian, invaded the country, and subdued its fortified places; and Vespasian having transferred the command to Titus, the latter laid siege to Jerusalem, which at that time was crowded with people from all parts of the country. The details of that awful siege are familiar to every one. The city was tediously beleaguered for months; famine arose among the inhabitants; civil dissensions divided their counsels, and led to mutual slaughter; and, finally, the place was sacked and given to the flames, and upwards of 1,000,000 of Jews perished. The remainder were sold as slaves, and scattered throughout the Roman empire as fugitives; and scattered they remain to this day [1868]. So awfully has the prophecy been fulfilled, that for the last twenty centuries, the throne of David has been a mere idle phrase — a tradition of the past; his kingdom has been overthrown, his land in desolation, and his people wandering as homeless exiles, unpitied and unpitying.

“But is this condition of David’s throne to be perpetual? Are the Gentiles for ever to exalt their proud horns over the fallen kingdom of the Lord? (See 1Ch 24:23; 2Ch 9:8; 13:8, which affirm the kingdom of Israel to have been the kingdom of God). Nay, saith the prophecy: desolation shall only continue UNTIL — until what? ‘Until HE COME whose right it is.’ Who is this? None other than Jesus Christ, to whom the throne pertains of right, both by lineal descent, and special divine bequest. Observe, then, what is distinctly proved, that the things overturned are the things to be given to Christ at his coming. Now, what things were those? The diadem, crown, throne, and Kingdom of David. Hence, when HE COMES whose right they are, he will enter into their possession in as real a sense as they were held by Zedekiah. He will become King of the Jews, and Lord of the whole earth. We thus perceive a striking significance in the words of the angel: ‘The Lord God shall give unto Jesus THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER David, and he shall reign over THE HOUSE OF JACOB for ever; and of HIS KINGDOM there shall be no end.’

“Going a step farther in our New Testament enquiry, we come to the birth of Christ, and we note the following incident: ‘Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born KING OF THE JEWS’ (Mat 2:1).

“The enquiry of the wise men was intelligible in view of all that the prophets had foretold of him who was to be ruler in Israel; but if Christ is only the spiritual Saviour of mankind, in a universal general sense, their words have no meaning. In what sense could Christ be ‘king of the Jews,’ if he only stood in broad spiritual relationship to the human race as a whole? It may be suggested that he is king of spiritual Jews, who are not Jews outwardly, but in the heart. The reply to this is, that Christ is not king of his own people. Of them he says, ‘I call you not servants, but friends.’ They are his brethren, ‘joint heirs with Christ’ (Rom 8:17), destined to reign with him a thousand years (Rev 20:6). They are not his subjects, but aggregately his bride, ‘the Lamb’s wife’ — signifying the closest communion and identity of relational interest. Christ, therefore, cannot be king of the Jews in any spiritual sense. He is king of those Jews of whom David was king; for he is heir to his throne. That this was the nature of his claim, as understood by his contemporaries, is obvious from what followed the enquiry of the wise men: ‘When Herod the king had heard these things he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel… And (Herod) sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men’ (Mat 2:2,3,6,16).

“Now whence all this commotion? If Christ was merely to be a spiritual ruler in the popular sense — exercising power from heaven in the hearts of men, without at all interfering with the temporal concerns of kings on earth, it is not conceivable that Herod should have been so jealous of him, because Christ’s spiritual dominion would not in any way have conflicted with Herod’s jurisdiction as a king.

“Assuming, however, that the enquiry of the wise men imported the verity of Christ’s character as a king, appointed of God to sit on David’s throne, Herod’s procedure appears in a natural light. He was at that time ruler in Israel. He was, in fact, ‘King of the Jews,’ in the name of the Roman Caesar. For him, therefore, to hear of the birth of a rival to that position, was to be touched in the tenderest part, and to have all his jealousy aroused. He would see plainly that if he allowed this infant king to live, the people’s allegiance might become diverted, and his own throne would be endangered. He therefore conceived the inhuman project of slaughtering the entire babyhood of Bethlehem, in the hope of destroying the object of his jealousy — a proof that he recognised in Christ, a prospective claimant of the literal kingship of Israel” (XdmAst ch 11).

PRINCE OF ISRAEL: Zedekiah, wicked and proud: 2Ch 36:11-14.

Eze 21:26

TAKE OFF THE TURBAN: Heb “mitsnepheth”. Or “mitre” (AV) of High Priest: sw Exo 28:4,37,39; 29:6; 39:28,31; Lev 8:9; 16:4 — and is clearly linked with priesthood. Both the kingdom and the priesthood were over.

REMOVE THE CROWN: Removal of official attire of the king. God will exalt the lowly: Jam 4:10. As with Christ: Phi 2:8,9.

Eze 21:27

RUIN… RUIN… RUIN: (1) 3 invasions by Nebuchadnezzar: BC 606, 598, and 587. Or (2) 3 distinct overthrows: BC 720: Assyrian captivity; BC 590: Babylonian captivity; and 70 AD: Roman invasion. Or, perhaps, (3) BC 590, 70 AD, and future! David’s throne to cease until the promised seed comes: 2Sa 7:12.

TO WHOM IT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS: That is, to whom the “scepter” or “rod” of Eze 19:11,14 rightfully belongs.

“Zedekiah”, the wicked prince of v 25; his name sig “he who shall be righteousness”; but Christ is the true “LORD our Righteousness” (Jer 23:6). He is the GREATER “Zedekiah” — to restore both the throne and the priesthood (Zec 6:14; Heb 7) — and the “Shiloh” of Gen 49:10.

Eze 21:28

Vv 28-32: AMMON: Cp Eze 25:1-7. In ct Judah’s sore judgments, Ammon to perish without hope. Reason: hatred of Israel — cp Zep 2:8; Jer 49:1.

Eze 21:30

IN THE LAND OF YOUR ANCESTRY: In ct Judah, judged by being scattered into ALL lands.

Eze 22:1

Vv 1-16: Jerusalem is a city of guilt, a city of bloods. It is said to them as it was said to Cain: “Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Gen 4:10).

“Patriot as he was, Ezekiel was not, like some sincere patriots, blind to his country’s faults. His conscience and judgment were enlightened, and his emotional nature was rendered especially sensitive, so that a just and deep impression was made upon his mind by the contemplation of his countrymen’s errors and iniquities. Leaders of public opinion, teachers of the time, are ever in danger of flattering those among whom their lot is cast, with whom their interests are identified. Yet Ezekiel proves himself to have the true spirit of the prophet, who rises superior to this temptation, and whose motto is, ‘Be just, and fear not!’

“The catalogue of the people’s sins is both a long and an awful one. It suffices to mention these as boldly charged upon them by the faithful prophet of the Lord: (1) Idolatry; (2) Violence and murder; (3) Disregard for parents; (4) Oppression of strangers, of the widows and fatherless; (5) Profaning of the sabbath; (6) Lewdness and vile indulgence of lust; (7) Bribery; and (8) Extortion.

“Was ever such an indictment brought against a community? The marvel is, not that the threatened judgment came, but that it was so long delayed.

“It certainly seems strange, all but incredible, that the highly favored Jerusalem should be famed among the very heathen for degradation in iniquity and moral debasement. But the language of Ezekiel is explicit; and he would be more likely to soften than to exaggerate the charge. Jerusalem a reproach, a mocking, infamous, defiled, full of tumult! How are the mighty fallen! The city of the great King, the seat of the temple of Jehovah, the home of the consecrated priesthood — infamous among the surrounding idolaters for flagrant violation of those very moral laws which the city was consecrated to conserve!” (Pulpit).

Eze 22:3

Vv 3-5: “Bloody” by idol worship (ct Exo 20:3-5; Lev 19:4).

Eze 22:4

AN OBJECT OF SCORN TO THE NATIONS: “You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the LORD will drive you” (Deu 28:37).

Eze 22:6

Vv 6-8: “Bloody” princes in oppression.

Eze 22:7

Ct Exo 20:12; Lev 19:3; 20:9. Ct Exo 22:21; Lev 19:33. Ct Exo 22:22; Deu 24:17.

THEY HAVE TREATED FATHER AND MOTHER WITH CONTEMPT: “Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother” (Deu 27:16).

YOU HAVE OPPRESSED THE ALIEN: “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt” (Exo 22:21).

AND MISTREATED THE FATHERLESS AND THE WIDOW: “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan” (Exo 22:22).

Eze 22:8

Ct Lev 22:2. Ct Lev 19:30; Exo 31:13,14.

YOU HAVE DESPISED MY HOLY THINGS AND DESECRATED MY SABBATHS: “Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary” (Lev 19:30).

Eze 22:9

Exo 22:9.

Vv 9-11: “Bloody” men: sexual sins and slander.

Ct Deu 18:9; Deu 12:30; Lev 18:28,29.

Eze 22:10

YOU ARE THOSE WHO DISHONOR THEIR FATHERS’ BED: “Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her” (Lev 18:7).

YOU ARE THOSE WHO VIOLATE WOMEN DURING THEIR PERIOD, WHEN THEY ARE CEREMONIALLY UNCLEAN: “Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period” (Lev 18:19).

Eze 22:11

Ct Lev 18:20; 20:20. Ct Lev 20:12. Ct Lev 18:9; 20:17.

ONE MAN COMMITS A DETESTABLE OFFENSE WITH HIS NEIGHBOR’S WIFE: “Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her” (Lev 18:20).

ANOTHER SHAMEFULLY DEFILES HIS DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, AND ANOTHER VIOLATES HIS SISTER, HIS OWN FATHER’S DAUGHTER: “Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living” (Lev 18:17,18).

Eze 22:12

Vv 12,13: “Bloody” men — greed and oppression.

Ct Exo 23:8; Deu 16:19. Ct Exo 22:25; Lev 25:36. Ct Exo 22:21.

MEN ACCEPT BRIBES TO SHED BLOOD: “Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person” (Deu 27:25).

YOU TAKE USURY AND EXCESSIVE INTEREST AND MAKE UNJUST GAIN: “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest” (Exo 22:25).

AND YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN ME: “You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth” (Deu 32:18).

Eze 22:15

I WILL DISPERSE YOU AMONG THE NATIONS AND SCATTER YOU THROUGH THE COUNTRIES: “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven” (Deu 28:25).

Eze 22:17

Vv 17-22: Israel in furnace.

Eze 22:18

Cp Isa 1:21,22; Psa 119:119. Here, the true silver has already been tapped off, and is awaiting final purification in Babylon.

Eze 22:23

Vv 23-31: No rain on the Land. Ct lack with the promise of Eze 34:26. The covenant-blessing of rain: Lev 26:4; Deu 11:13,14.

Eze 22:25

Vv 25-29: All classes of society.

LIKE A ROARING LION TEARING ITS PREY: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1Pe 5:8).

THEY DEVOUR PEOPLE, TAKE TREASURES AND PRECIOUS THINGS AND MAKE MANY WIDOWS WITHIN HER: ” Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses” (Mat 23:14, AV).

Eze 22:29

THEY… MISTREAT THE ALIEN: “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt” (Exo 22:21).

Eze 22:30

No man was found to build the wall and stand in the breach — like Moses had done: “So he said he would destroy them — had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them” (Psa 106:23)… (Jeremiah had been told no longer to pray for them: Jer 11:14.)

Eze 23:1

Eze 23: This chapter possesses some similarity with Eze 16. Whereas the main emphasis in Eze 16 is the actual idolatry of God’s people, however, the main emphasis in Eze 23 is their military and political alliances.

In this chapter the wicked alliances of Israel and Judah are represented under the metaphor of two harlots, disgusting in their lewdness. The “idolatries” of Israel, or the ten tribes — under the name of Oholah — were committed with the Assyrians (vv 5-8), and their punishment for them is declared (vv 9,10). Then the idolatries of Judah, or the two tribes — under the name of Oholibah — are represented as greater than those of the ten tribes (v 11); these idolatries were committed with the Assyrians (v 12) and the Babylonians (vv 13-18).

Eze 23:2

Like Jacob, God had two “wives” who were sisters. Ct Lev 18:18.

Eze 23:4

OHOLAH IS SAMARIA, AND OHOLIBAH IS JERUSALEM: Sig, respectively, “his tent” and “my tent”. There were tents, or tabernacles, of worship in both places, but Jerusalem was “God’s tabernacle”. God has chosen Zion: Psa 132:13,14. Perhaps an allusion also to tents set up for prostitution.

More specifically… ” ‘Aholah’ = ‘She has her own tent (or tabernacle)’, whereas ‘Aholibah’ = ‘My tent (or tabernacle) is in her’ — making the distinct difference between Samaria and Jerusalem: both had turned to idolatry, yet the promises still applied to Jerusalem. Even in this ch of doom there is evidence in these names that God still intended to make His tabernacle with men by the results of the work and life of Jesus, who would establish God’s tabernacle with man eternally” (PC).

Eze 23:5

Vv 5-10: Whoredoms of Oholah.

ASSYRIANS — WARRIORS: Or “neighbors” (as AV). The territory of Assyria bordered Israel at this time. “For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers” (Hos 8:9; 5:3; 7:11; 12:1). Menahem formed alliance with Pul (2Ki 15:19). Hoshea bought off Shalmaneser (2Ki 17:3).

Eze 23:7

IDOLS: Religious alliances often preceded political ones (cp v 30).

Eze 23:9

Hoshea was dethroned and 10 tribes carried captive into Assyria: 2Ki 17:4-6.

Eze 23:10

SHE BECAME A BYWORD AMONG WOMEN: “You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the LORD will drive you” (Deu 28:37).

Eze 23:11

Vv 11-35: Whoredoms of Oholibah. “I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery” (Jer 3:8).

Eze 23:12

When, for example, Ahaz (Judah) was threatened by a combination of Syria and Israel, he sought the help of Tiglathpileser III, refusing to put his trust in God (2Ki 20:12-19) — 2Ki 16:7-10; cp Isa 7:3-17; 2Ch 28:19.

Eze 23:17

Ahaz’s son Hezekiah at one time received ambassadors from Merodach-Baladan of Chaldea — both being opposed to Assyria at the time (2Ki 20:12-19).

Eze 23:19

Judah’s frequent overtures to Egypt: Isa 30:1,2; 31:1; Jer 2:18; Lam 4:17.

Eze 23:20

This verse is about as graphic and revolting as anything to be found in the Bible. The purpose is not to titillate or to stimulate pleasurably, but to shock. Whether it be in portraying violence or sex, the prophets who wrote the Bible were not interested in staying out of trouble with the “censors” or in retaining a “G” rating. Nevertheless, when sin is portrayed, there is — unlike with Hollywood — no uncertainty as to its sinfulness, nor any ambiguity as to the ultimate fate of those who practice such things and remain unrepentant.

Eze 23:22

Vv 22-27: The Babylonians to come against her. Her “lovers” were to be her “judges”.

THOSE YOU TURNED AWAY FROM IN DISGUST: First alienation was shown by Jehoiakim in rebellion of 2Ki 24:1. Zedekiah later rebels also (2Ki 24:20).

Eze 23:23

PEKOD: Typical name, sig “visitation” or “judgment”. Used of Babylon in Jer 50:21.

SHOA: Sig “rich”.

KOA: Sig “noble” or “powerful”. “Armenian tribes from east of Tigris River” (BS 5:90).

Eze 23:25

THEY WILL CUT OFF YOUR NOSES AND YOUR EARS: Horribly disfigured by sword or fire — common occurrences.

Eze 23:26

The removal of precious things from temple: 2Ki 25:13-17.

Eze 23:28

Vv 28-31: The reasons why her lovers came against her.

Eze 23:34

A person devoid of sense and reason. Drinking of cup from God sym utter prostration, helpless impotence: Jer 51:7; Nah 3:11; Hab 2:15,16. Cp foolhardy act of killing the potentially good leader of the remnant, Gedaliah: Jer 41:2.

Eze 23:36

Vv 36-49: Judgments upon both Oholah and Oholibah.

Eze 23:37

Idolatry of the grossest kind: involving the sacrifice of children.

Eze 23:40

PAINTED YOUR EYES: A sign of a harlot: Jer 4:30.

Eze 23:41

A TABLE SPREAD BEFORE IT: Cp the adulterous wife in Pro 7:13-18. A despicable mixture of harlotry and worship of God!

Eze 23:45

Under LM, adulteresses were stoned: Lev 20:10.

Eze 23:46

GIVE THEM OVER TO TERROR AND PLUNDER: “Give them to be removed and spoiled” (AV). “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth” (Deu 28:25).

Eze 23:48

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (Jam 4:4).

Eze 23:49

THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE SOVEREIGN LORD: At the very last, something remedial arising out of all God’s judgments!

Eze 24:1

THE NINTH YEAR: Cp date also, Zec 8:19. The time of the siege: cp also 2Ki 25:1; Jer 39:1; 52:4.

Eze 24:13

BECAUSE I TRIED TO CLEANSE YOU BUT YOU WOULD NOT BE CLEANSED FROM YOUR IMPURITY, YOU WILL NOT BE CLEAN AGAIN UNTIL MY WRATH AGAINST YOU HAS SUBSIDED: What a lesson. We must never ignore God’s willingness to purge us and make us righteous. It is our choice. Let us make the right one: Isa 5:4-6, 2Co 7:1; Mat 23:37,38. By the time we reach the state of Rev 22:11, it will be too late.

Eze 24:16

The untimely death of Ezekiel’s wife marks the tragedy of the destruction of the temple. Israel had a desire to the temple like Ezekiel had for his wife — though it is clear that Israel did not have a love for the temple. It was just a symbol to them.

The fact that Ezekiel was forbidden to mourn demonstrated to Israel that Yahweh was not mourning for the destruction of the temple and the taking captive of His people (v 21). Such was their depravity that the “throne of the Lord” was no longer as important to Him as the reproof of His people.

Eze 24:18

Vv 18,19: “Ezekiel’s wife died. His heart was bleeding; but he received orders from his divine Master that he should not mourn, nor weep, nor make any sign of mourning whatever. It was a strange command, but he obeyed it. The people understood that Ezekiel was a prophet to them in all that he did; his actions did not concern himself alone. He was a teacher, not only by his words, but by his acts; so the people gathered round him, and said to him, ‘What is the meaning of this? It has some bearing upon our conduct; tell us what it has to do with us.’ He soon explained to them that, before long, they also would lose by sword, and pestilence, and famine, the dearest that they had, and they would not be able to have any mourning for the dead. They would be themselves in such a state of distress that the dead would die unlamented, the living having enough to do to mourn over their own personal sorrows. It was a terrible lesson, and it was terribly taught” (CHS).

Eze 14:1

Eze 14: “Idolatry in the heart is a common problem with mankind. It is imbedded in our sin nature, and is reflected in self-adulation and self-aggrandizement. There is therefore an urgent need for the Word of Truth which opens the heart and reveals the true state thereof (Heb 4:12). The Israelites sought the prophets they desired, and who were prepared to speak ‘smooth things’ (cp Isa 30:10), just as an ecclesia normally receives the ministry it secretly wants. No greater insult can Yahweh be offered than for a man who offers Him no allegiance, or at best a divided one, which He will not accept, to then come to His prophet and ask to know His will — which such a man will only do if and when it suits him (cp Eze 14:7-8). It is evident that Ezekiel was of some standing in the sight of the people (v 1), and they listened, but unfortunately they did not heed his words because they had already created their own gods ‘of the heart’ (v 3). Many who had no idols in the sanctuary, have idols in their hearts, which is no less an usurpation of Yahweh’s throne. When gods of money, fleshly pleasure, or personal prestige amongst their fellows, dominate the minds of men, a message of peace will not be received from Yahweh. So the message is declared: [1] The Idolater and the Prophet: vv 1-11. [2] The absolute justice of Jerusalem’s doom: vv 12-23. There is an appeal to Repent whilst there is time (vv 6-8), and the reminder that the Righteous only will save themselves (vv 12-14). The prophet shows that only a Righteous Remnant will be preserved through all the troubles of the times (vv 22,23). This same warning is appropriate for the brotherhood today” (GEM).

Attendance at the meetings is no guarantee that our hearts are right with God. A mere outward show, which might deceive our brethren and sisters, does not deceive our Father.

Eze 14:3

The folly of closed minds: “Idolatry is an attitude of the mind, not a posture of the body. It [ie idolatry of the heart] is the easiest, most subtle form of idol worship; its danger lies in the fact that it is not seen by others” (LR).

Eze 14:4

I THE LORD WILL ANSWER HIM MYSELF IN KEEPING WITH HIS GREAT IDOLATRY: God’s answer to this man is that his multitude of idols will in some way lead to his downfall (cp v 9).

Eze 14:7

A WICKED STUMBLINGBLOCK BEFORE HIS FACE: The elders had not come to Ezekiel with open minds to receive a reply.

Eze 14:9

AND IF THE PROPHET IS ENTICED TO UTTER A PROPHECY, I THE LORD HAVE ENTICED THAT PROPHET: A special deception from God (cp 2Th 2:8,11; Rom 1:28), particularly applicable if the person had preconceived ideas. “False prophets only exist where there exists a demand for them.” A lesson to us: 2Ti 4:3,4.

Eze 14:14

Cp Jeremiah’s mention of Moses and Samuel: Jer 15:1-4.

NOAH, DANIEL AND JOB: These 3 were eminent examples of personal righteousness, yet they delivered only a very few (Noah 7, Daniel 2) or none (ie Job) along with themselves.

THEY COULD SAVE ONLY THEMSELVES BY THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS: Salvation is based upon one’s personal righteousness; one cannot be “righteous” on behalf of others!

On a more positive note, “We have to remember that even if things get so bad that no one else will listen to the message of salvation from God, it is possible for the faithful (like Noah, Daniel and Job here) still to be saved. Nothing can take away from us the promise that God has given of eternal life. It is with us for ever, whatever our circumstances, unless we choose to relinquish our part in it. God will never forsake us” (PC).

Eze 14:21

SWORD: Lev 26:25; Rev 6:8.

FAMINE: Lev 26:26.

WILD BEASTS: Lev 26:22.

PLAGUE: Lev 26:25; Rev 6:8.

Eze 13:2

Vv 2,3: The false prophets were convincing — hence the need for true prophets to warn against them. We must beware, as the false prophets are still equally convincing: 2Pe 2:1-3.

Eze 13:3

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Mat 7:15).

Eze 13:4

JACKALS AMONG THE RUINS: “What they are building– if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!” (Neh 4:3) — spoken of the walls of Jerusalem, being rebuilt.

Eze 13:6

// Deu 18:10. Jeremiah was also beset by false prophets: Jer 28:1-3; 14:15; 23:16,17.

It is easy to look around the whole Christian movement in the earth and see that there are false prophets — teaching for doctrines those things which the people want to hear — and in our hearts perhaps judge them for it. It is important to be absolutely sure we are not doing this ourselves. All beliefs and practices must be looked at again and again in the light of the requirements which God puts forward, that we might find ourselves in tune with His will and purpose in all ways.

Eze 13:10

“Disobedience after the flood brought ‘confusion of tongues’ as a punishment. So long as groups of men speaking a common tongue could live out their own life without much contact with other groups, the full effect of this calamity was not felt. But in these last days, when there has been a comparative annihilation of distance, and when an event in any part of the world may have immediate devastating consequences for all the world, we are experiencing in full measure the effects of that which happened at Babel. If God compared the peace efforts of Israel’s leaders at the time of the overthrow of the kingdom to a ramshackle wall, daubed with untempered mortar, to what can the efforts of the leaders today be compared when they try to construct a world out of the discordant elements of every nation?” (CHeb 68).

A FLIMSY WALL: “A slight wall” (AV mg): a mere partition.

WHITEWASH: The AV translates here: “untempered mortar”, whereas more modern scholars suggest “whitewash”. The second of these is more likely correct, being supported by the references — in the New Testament — to “whitewashed tombs” in Mat 23:27 and “whitewashed wall” in Acts 23:3. Nevertheless, either translation presents the same basic point: the putting of a “good face” on what is a flimsy structure. This the “prophets” of Judah did!

Eze 13:14

“A calamity this of very frequent occurrence. I have known many such during my residence in this land, and this whole passage is so graphic and true to experience, that the prophet, beyond a doubt, drew the picture from scenes with which he was personally familiar. This [village] which we are approaching is a striking specimen of walls built and daubed with such mortar, and not a few of the houses threaten to crush their inhabitants beneath their ruins” (LB 391).

WHITEWASH: Cp v 10.

AND WILL LEVEL IT TO THE GROUND SO THAT ITS FOUNDATION WILL BE LAID BARE: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Mat 7:24,25).

Eze 13:15

WHITEWASH: Cp v 10.

Eze 13:16

VISIONS OF PEACE: Such messages would be appealing to human nature, and therefore the false prophets would be esteemed by the people. The desire to be popular should never detract from the message of the gospel. In fact, we ought to expect that the message that we preach will be unpalatable — it was in the days of Jesus and the apostles.

Eze 13:17

The counterpart of the true, the prophetesses of the LORD: Miriam (Exo 15:20); Deborah (Jdg 4:4); Huldah (2Ki 22:14); Hannah; Sarah; Anna; Mary; Isaiah’s wife.

Eze 13:18

The people who were thus deceived were pictured as birds: flighty, foolish, and about to fly away (into captivity).

Eze 4:1

In Eze 4, the total of 430 days (390 for Israel: v 5; and 40 for Judah: v 6) seem to represent a complete period of affliction, of 430 years (cp Gen 15:13; Exo 12:40).

The complete interpretation of these symbolic numbers and periods of time may yet elude us. However, there are some significant dates worth noting:

There is a period of 40 years for the Exodus: from the leaving of Egypt (approximately 1446 BC) to the entry into the Land of promise (c 1406).

And from thence, approximately 390 years would measure from the entry into the Land (1406) to the coming of the kingdom in the person of Saul (1016).

Then again, 390 years would be the time period from Saul (1016) to 13th Josiah (626 BC), and a remaining 40 years from the 13th Josiah to the actual fall of Jerusalem (586) at the hand of the Babylonians, which Ezekiel witnessed.

After the Kingdom of Judah, then, 390 years would take us from the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) to 196 BC. And 40 more years (196 BC to 156 BC) would take us to the desecration of the Temple, and the ensuing Maccabean war.

After the dividing of the kingdom, between Israel and Judah, the North and the South, then, 390 years would measure from the 4th of Rehoboam (2Ch 12) to the time when the Temple was burnt in the 19th of Nebuchadnezzar (Eze 33:21). This would be approximately 982 to 592 BC.

The “Sabbaths” during 430 years = 70 Sabbath years!: 430 / 7 = 61.4; 430 / 50 = 8.6 (Jubilee years). And 61.4 + 8.6 = 70. Also, 597 BC (year of captivity: Eze 1) to 168 BC (Maccabean revolt for independence) was exactly 430 years (GVG, Ber 66:376).

Eze 4:3

IRON: Sig Babylon (cp Deu 28:48; Jer 28:14).

IRON PAN: Is this connected with the law of the grain offering in Lev 2:5? Was such an offering a potential way of escape, if the people should choose it?

Eze 4:4

ON YOUR LEFT SIDE: Ezekiel, on east of city, lies on left side, looking north — toward the 10 tribes (cp v 6).

Eze 4:5

SIN: Heb “avon” — a word used of both sin and its punishment (cp Eze 14:10).

Eze 4:6

ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE: Cp v 4n. Thus, looking south — ie toward Judah.

Eze 4:7

WITH BARED ARM: Untrammeled for action (Isa 52:10).

Eze 4:9

Not enough of any one grain. Suggestive of an extreme suffering, and privation: cp 2Ki 25:3; Lam 2:11,19; 4:10.

Eze 4:12

HUMAN EXCREMENT FOR FUEL: Unsuitable fuel.

Eze 4:13

But the trials have even now not been completed.

Eze 4:14

God was willing to listen to Ezekiel’s scruples and so modify His requirements upon the prophet.

Eze 4:16

// Lam 2:11,19; 4:10.

The prophecy of Lev 26:26. Fulfilled in 2Ki 25:3, and continually throughout trials (cp Deu 28:65; Eze 5:16).

Eze 5:1

Eze 5:1.

Eze 5: In contrast to the opening chapters of the glorious visions of cherubim, the prophecy is immediately plunged into the dismal picture of divine judgment, as severe as any man might experience. As if receiving the message were not enough, the prophet Ezekiel had to demonstrate Yahweh’s grief at the apostasy of His people in his very person and actions. Being made dumb, it remained for him to demonstrate the judgment in a pictorial form. He had to remove hair and beard, and present a symbol of mourning (Lev 21:5).

In so doing it depicted the broken vow of the Nazarite, for if he had defiled his consecration, he was required to shave his head, and commence anew his vow of separation (Num 6:9).

The hair was placed on balances, divided into three, and let fly in the wind. But a few strands remained in his “skirts” (v 3), indicative of the remnant that would be permitted to remain in the Land under Gedaliah. Yet even that remnant would be consumed, as they argued among themselves, and defied Yahweh by going into Egypt (Jer 44:28).

So the prophecy of Ezekiel developed into a very absolute judgment (vv 5-11). Israel was worse than the nations, because they had a greater responsibility; they had received divine grace, and therefore their punishment was to fit the crime.

SHAVE YOUR HEAD: Poss sig a breaking of a Nazarite vow: Num 6:7,9.

Eze 5:2

Ezekiel repr God. Sword, or knife, repr Babylon (cp Isa 7:20; 10:5). Thus Babylon separates the nation from God.

FIRE INSIDE THE CITY: Pestilence, famine (v 12; Deu 32:22,24).

STRIKE IT WITH THE SWORD ALL AROUND THE CITY: Violent death (vv 12,17).

SCATTER A THIRD TO THE WIND: Dispersion (v 12: “all winds”).

Eze 5:3

The few saved ones come from the scattered third, the exiles (cp Eze 6:8-10). This enacted parable marks the ways in which Israel are to be scattered. But, as Jesus says, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7); this reminds us that the children of Israel were also individuals whom God knew. The scattering of the Jews was not just a punishment; it was — for some at least — a measured period of chastening, designed by God to provide opportunity for testing, and repentance and renewal.

IN THE FOLDS OF YOUR GARMENT: Poss the wings of the cherubim (Eze 1); sig protection, covering (Psa 57:1).

Eze 5:6

SHE HAS REJECTED MY LAWS…: // Lev 26:15,43; Deu 4:1.

Eze 5:10

Cannibalism: Lev 26:29; Deu 28:53.

Eze 5:11

AS SURELY AS I LIVE: Here is the guarantee of divine existence, although the people were acting as though Yahweh was not alive in their experiences. Now at the end of the Davidic kingdom, the people who refused to offer a purity of worship and a singleminded devotion would be committed to death. Refusing to believe God was living, the people were destined to die themselves, and return to the earth.

DEFILED MY SANCTUARY: Cp Eze 8; Lev 26:2; Deu 32:16.

I WILL NOT LOOK ON YOU WITH PITY OR SPARE YOU: Cp Eze 7:4,9; 8:18; 9:5,10.

Eze 5:12

Ezekiel uses similar language a number of times: Eze 6:8,12; 12:14; 14:22; 17:21. The same message was used by the contemporary prophet Jeremiah perhaps even more often (Jer 14:12; 21:7,9; 24:10; 27:8,13; 29:17,18; 32:24,36; 34:17; 38:2; 42:17,22; 44:4).

Eze 5:14

NATIONS AROUND YOU: See Lesson, Nations “round about”.

IN THE SIGHT OF ALL WHO PASS BY: The phrase is used in the same context in Psa 89:41; Lam 2:15. It is the ultimate degradation; yet they still did not repent.

Eze 5:15

THE NATIONS AROUND YOU: See Lesson, Nations “round about”.

Eze 11:1

Eze 11: “Judgment is threatened against the elders of the Jerusalem ecclesia, and grace is extended to those obedient in exile. The transgression of the leaders is proclaimed and the impending judgment is revealed. But blended with severity is God’s goodness, and provision is made for the redemption of the faithful remnant in the Age to come. That done, and the Glory leaves the city. Ezekiel is taken to the east gate of Yahweh’s house (v 1), the very area to which the Lord Jesus came after leaving the Upper Room in Jerusalem, and from the eastern gate he offered the prayer of John 17. Within the city of Jerusalem in Ezekiel’s day as well as those of the Lord, the elders were conspiring. Their message was rejected, as the clarity of the Truth is often rejected by those seeking for personal prestige within the company of the believers. Therefore, (1) Ezekiel spoke against the men who devise mischief: vv 1-3, and then (2) pronounced a parable against the leaders: vv 4-12. He took up their mocking refrain and answers accordingly. Yahweh’s favourites were those whose death the elders had caused. Meanwhile, they would not have privilege of dying in the city. Then comes: (3) Ezekiel’s fear: v 13. He sees the death throes of the ecclesia in Jerusalem. The ch closes with (4) Yahweh’s assurance of divine righteousness: vv 14-21; and (5) The glory leaves the temple: vv 22-25. The sad vision upholds God’s righteousness, and Ezekiel is brought back in spirit to his place of exile” (GEM).

LEADERS OF THE PEOPLE: “Princes of the people” (AV). Ironic: not “princes of the sanctuary”, as Isa 43:28, nor “of the priests”, as in 2Ch 36:14. But simply princes “of the PEOPLE”, to whom they pandered.

Eze 11:3

WILL IT NOT SOON BE TIME TO BUILD HOUSES?: Or, as NIV mg, “This is not the time to build houses.” Israel should be building houses in Babylonia, not in Israel (Jer 29:5,28).

The KJV has: “It is not near!” — which by itself is ambiguous, but may mean: ‘God’s judgments are not near!’ If this is accurate, then it may indicate that those left in Jerusalem had no conception of the evil that they were involved in, nor the immediacy of Yahweh’s intervention to vindicate His name. Leen Ritmeyer, when commenting on his archaeological finds in Jerusalem, says that the leaders in Jerusalem were still renovating and spending vast amounts of money on their houses at the time the Romans were besieging the city. It seems that in minute detail the Roman overthrow mirrors the Babylonian invasion.

THIS CITY IS A COOKING POT, AND WE ARE THE MEAT: Cp modern proverb: “out of the frying pan, and into the fire.” Better to remain in city and prepare its defenses. But Ezekiel says there is no real defense; they will be scattered (vv 7-9).

A COOKING POT: This idea of the pot and the cauldron draws on the language of the children of Israel when they first went into the wilderness, and complained that they wished to be back with the fleshpots of Egypt (Exo 16:3). The two words (for “cooking pot” and meat”) occur together 5 times in scripture — in Exo 16:3; Eze 11:3,7,11, and finally in Mic 3:3: speaking figuratively of the final destruction.

Eze 11:10

YOU WILL FALL BY THE SWORD: Certain leaders were later executed at Riblah: 2Ki 25:18-21.

Cp Luk 21:24: “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Eze 11:15

BLOOD RELATIVES: “Gaalim” = “redemption-men”. God says to Ezekiel, “Fret not for the priesthood; your true relatives — for whom you will act as kinsman-redeemer — are those of the Dispersion.” Natural kinship — ie with the priests — means nothing.

THEY ARE FAR AWAY FROM THE LORD: Contrary to Jeremiah’s parable (Jer 24), the Jews left in the Land considered themselves the GOOD figs!

THE LAND WAS GIVEN TO US AS OUR POSSESSION: The materialistic concept that possession of the Land is all-important: ct v 16.

Eze 11:16

FOR A LITTLE WHILE I HAVE BEEN A SANCTUARY: Thus implying an imminent return.

Eze 11:23

The Cherubim of the Glory of God is seen departing from the Temple and its precincts, in several stages: (1) “Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been [that is, in the Most Holy Place], and moved to the threshold of the temple” (Eze 9:3). (2) “Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD” (Eze 10:4). (3) “Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the LORD’S house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them” (Eze 10:18,19). (4) “The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it” (Eze 11:23). This, apparently, is the last time the Glory of God was seen in Ezekiel’s day. Thus, in preparation for the judgments soon to fall on the city, Yahweh was — by stages — removing the Glory of His Presence from the doomed city. The stages of removal, and the intervening periods of waiting, were surely intended to offer a final witness to the people.

The final time Ezekiel sees this Glory is in his vision of the restoration: “The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple” (Eze 43:4,5).

It is remarkable that, 600 years later, when the Lord Jesus Christ (who was the Glory of Yahweh in human form: John 1:14; 17:6,22) addressed his farewell to the city of Jerusalem, he said: “Look, your house is left to you desolate” (Mat 23:38). The glory was departing from Israel, again, in anticipation of another destruction of a city and a temple which had turned its back on its God. And this it did, in reality, when Jesus took his leave from his disciples and was taken up from the Mount of Olives, on the east side of the city (Acts 1:9; cp Eze 11:23).

But, of course, as with the final vision seen by Ezekiel in Eze 43 — the Glory embodied in Jesus Christ will also return to its city in the Last Days: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). “Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem…” (Zec 14:3,4).