Devotions

Kings Will Shudder Over You in Horror

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The Lord sets himself against Pharaoh, against Egypt, but not for the reasons we might think. In Ezekiel 29:6-7 “because of their being a staff of reed for the house of Israel 7 When they took hold of you with the hand, you snapped, and you split their every shoulder”. There is a blessing in Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you.” and Egypt has fallen short, they did not stand with “the house of Israel”. There is here also, in Ezekiel 31:11 “the leader of nations” and in Ezekiel 31:12 “the most ruthless of nations”, Babylon. And Babylon is rising to power and in Ezekiel 32 :9-10 “will disturb the hearts of many peoples … their kings will shudder over you in horror”. But this is the same spirit that in Revelation 18:23–24 “deceived all the nations. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints and all those who had been slaughtered on the earth”, the one whose demise will also come as described in Isaiah 14. 

I Am Against You, Pharaoh, King of Egypt

Ezekiel 29:1–7
There could be many reasons that the Lord sets himself against Egypt in Ezekiel 29:2-3. They worshipped idols that are mentioned in Ezekiel 30:13. They trusted in their great wealth as mentioned in Ezekiel 30:4. But that is not the reason the Lord give. The Lord says he is against Pharaoh, against Egypt because they did not stand with “the house of Israel” in

Ezekiel 29:6–7 And all of the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, because of their being a staff of reed for the house of Israel. 7 When they took hold of you with the hand, you snapped, and you split their every shoulder. And when they leaned on you, you broke, and you caused all of their loins to wobble.”

When Israel needed help and reached out to Egypt, Egypt responded, but not with strength to hold them up. As Egypt pulled back, it caused the complete demise of Israel.

Egypt Will Become a Desolation

Ezekiel 29:8–16
Egypt has taken credit for God’s handiwork when they said in Ezekiel 29:9 “The Nile is mine! And I, I made it!’ So, the Lord says in Ezekiel 29:10 “I will make the land of Egypt into ruins” and in Ezekiel 29:11 “it will not be inhabited for forty years”

But the Lord also says, in Ezekiel 29:13 “At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt” and in Ezekiel 29:14 “I will restore the fortunes of Egypt” yet they will forever be a lowly nation in Ezekiel 29:15 “it will not exalt itself again over the nations, and I will make them small so as not to rule over the nations”. And, it is at this point, that Israel no longer looks to Egypt in Ezekiel 29:16, but will in the future take their own place as leader of nations.

I Will Scatter Egypt Among the Nations

Ezekiel 30:20–26

Assyria Was a Cedar in Lebanon

Ezekiel 31:1–9
The Lord had said in Ezekiel 30:6 “And the supporters of Egypt will fall, and the majesty of its strength will go down”. But Pharaoh and those around him, “his crowd” in Ezekiel 31:1 are basking in their history and thinking their majesty will go on forever. So the Lord reminds them of the greatness of the Assyrians in

Ezekiel 31:3 Look! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and a forest giving shade, and very high, and its treetop was between the clouds.

It was described in Ezekiel 31:7 “beautiful in its greatness” and in Ezekiel 31:8 “Cedars in the garden of God could not be equal to it”. but its size and beauty were not enough for it to stand forever. 

I Gave It Into the Hand of the Leader of Nations

Ezekiel 31:10–18
Assyria, in Ezekiel 31:10 “took pride in its tallness” and the Lord in Ezekiel 31:11 “gave it into the hand of the leader of nations; he dealt thoroughly with it according to its wickedness. I drove it out”. It was in Ezekiel 31:12 “strangers cut it off, the most ruthless of nations”, this is “A reference to Babylon (see Ezek 28:7)”.1

Babylon is even more ruthless than the Assyrians and is called “the leader of nations”. While this is certainly a reference to Nebuchadnezzar, It also seems to be a reference the the spirit of anti-christ, the devil that has ruled the nations in Isaiah 14. But he is cut down in

Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of dawn! You are cut down to the ground, conqueror of nations!

and the one that has deceived the nations in

Revelation 18:23–24 “For your merchants were the most important people of the earth, because with your sorcery they deceived all the nations. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints and all those who had been slaughtered on the earth.

 

Kings Will Shudder Over You in Horror

Ezekiel 32:1-10
Pharaoh thinks of himself in Ezekiel 32:2 “With a fierce, strong lion among nations you compared yourself, and you are like the sea monster in the seas”. But the Lord says “I will” sixteen time describing what he will do to Egypt in Ezekiel 32:3-8 “I will spread my net over you … I will throw you on the ground … I will put darkness on your land”.

Then the Lord says “I will” two times describing the reaction of people and nations in Ezekiel 32 :9-10 “I will disturb the hearts of many peoples … I will cause many peoples to be awestruck over you”. And because of this, “their kings will shudder over you in horror … and they will tremble continually, each person for his life”.

If this happens in Egypt, how can anyone be safe as “The sword is brandished before their face when it falls time after time upon their brother the king of Egypt, whereby they are thrown into alarm for their own lives”.2

They Will Devastate the Majesty of Egypt

Ezekiel 32:11–21

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Ezekiel 29:1-16
  • Ezekiel 30:20-26
  • Ezekiel 31:1-18
  • Ezekiel 32:1-21

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eze 31:12). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • 2. Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 9, p. 268). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.
Devotions

You Must Not Deceive Yourselves

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Zedekiah was made king by Nebuchadnezzar and for three years served him, but then rebelled. The Chaldeans encamped around Jerusalem and there seemed no way out. Zedekiah sought help from Egypt and as Pharaohs army approached, the Chaldeans left. But the word of the Lord had already been given and is now repeated, in Jeremiah 37:9 “the Chaldeans will return … ‘You must not deceive yourselves, saying, “Surely the Chaldeans will go from us,” for they will not go”. As Jeremiah is imprisoned, we see the factions among the leaders of Israel, and the fear of the king, not of the Chaldeans, but of his own people who he has mistreated. 

You Must Not Deceive Yourselves

Jeremiah 37:1–10
The Lord had been speaking through Jeremiah but no one had been listening in

Jeremiah 37:2 “But he (Zedekiah) and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet”.

But the Chaldeans were encamped around Jerusalem in Jeremiah 37:5 and Zedekiah had sent for help from Pharaoh so Zedekiah the king wanted to know if God was for them. And even more, the king wanted an intercessor because he sends this request in Jeremiah 37:3 “Please pray for us to Yahweh our God”.

As they are coming to inquire, news comes that Pharaoh is on his way with his army in Jeremiah 37:5 and the Chaldeans “withdrew from Jerusalem”. but the word of the Lord comes in

Jeremiah 37:7–9 “the army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, is going to return to his land Egypt. 8 And the Chaldeans will return … ‘You must not deceive yourselves, saying, “Surely the Chaldeans will go from us,” for they will not go.

 

The Officials Were Angry at Jeremiah

Jeremiah 37:11–21
The Chaldeans backed off in Jeremiah 37:22, Jerusalem was no longer under siege. In

Jeremiah 37:12 “Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive a portion from there in the midst of the people”.

This is a perfectly reasonable thing for him to do, as anyone that had been trapped in the city would want to do. Note here that earlier, we read of “the purchase of Hanamel’s field (which) expresses hope for Yahweh’s restoration of Judah following the Exile: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land” (Jer 32:15). (and that ) The purchase of Hanamel’s field occurs according to the right of redemption (Lev 25:25)”.1

So, Jeremiah has a place outside the city where he could live, and certainly where he could “receive a portion” of whatever harvest there might be there. But as he got to the gate to leave the city, he was seized by one of the guards and accused of being a deserter in Jeremiah 37:13 and he was placed in prison in Jeremiah 37:15 and “came to the dungeon … and Jeremiah stayed there many days”.

Surely This City Will be Given

Jeremiah 38:1–9
All of the leaders of the city heard what in

Jeremiah 38:1–3 “Jeremiah was saying to all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘The one who stays in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague. But the one who goes out to the Chaldeans will live. And his life will be for him as booty, and he will live.’ 3 Thus says Yahweh, ‘Surely this city will be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’ ”

So they went to the king saying in Jeremiah 37:4 “this man must be killed, because he is making slack the hands of the soldiers”. But they only maintained this position because they were rebelling against the word of the Lord and refused to give up the city. But the king is not able or willing to stand against these men so says in

Jeremiah 38:5 “And Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand, for the king is not able to do a thing against you.””

 

Surrender to the Officials of the King of Babylon

Jeremiah 38:10–19
But later, the king sends others to rescue Jeremiah from the pit in Jeremiah 37:10. Then has Jeremiah brought to him secretly in Jeremiah 37:14. Jeremiah is unaware of the factions in leadership and thinks the king wants to kill him in Jeremiah 37:15. But the king promises protection in Jeremiah 37:16 and then gives the king a simple and straight forward message from the Lord, surrender, in

Jeremiah 38:17–18 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If only you will go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then ⌊you⌋ will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house. 18 But if you do not go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hand.’ ”

The king is afraid in Jeremiah 37:19 but not of the Chaldeans, he is afraid of “the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest they (the Chaldeans) give me into their hand (the Judeans) and they abuse me”.

So, Zedekiah is more afraid of his own people than of the king of Babylon who he has betrayed by going for help to Egypt. And we might understand this by reading a little more about Zedekiah as king where we find how abusive he was to his people. It is said in

2 Kings 24:19 “He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh just like all that Jehoiakim had done”.

And “Jehoiakim is accused of having “eyes and heart only for dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practising oppression and violence” (Jer 22:15–17 [RSV]; cf. 2 Kgs 24:4). The oracle Jer 22:13–19 provides a concrete example of Jehoiakim’s avarice, arrogance, and oppressive rule”.2

You Will be Seized and This City Will Burn With Fire

Jeremiah 38:20–28

Because They Acted Very Unfaithfully

Ezekiel 15:1–8

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Jeremiah 37:1-21
  • Jeremiah 38:1-28
  • Ezekiel 15:1-8

References

  • 1. Bracke, J. M. (1992). Hanamel (Person). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 3, p. 43). New York: Doubleday.
  • 2. Berridge, J. M. (1992). Jehoiakim (Person). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 3, p. 665). New York: Doubleday.
Devotions

According to Your Ways and Your Deeds

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The Lord is dealing with the house of Israel and has released a decree in Jeremiah 21:7 “I will give Zedekiah, the king of Judah … into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar”. He describes their coming encounter, a siege that takes about a year and a half, as a cooking pot being brought to a boil. Then the Lord says in Ezekiel 24:14 “According to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you!”. The Lord also decrees punishment for Israels enemies; Moab and Seir, Edom, the Philistines each also according to their own deeds.

I Will Cause Obscene Conduct to Cease From the Land

Ezekiel 23:40–49
Their conduct is described in Ezekiel 23:40-44 and the judgement that is coming in Ezekiel 23:45-48. But this judgement is to be delivered by men. We sometimes think that every judgement is carried out by the Lord, but they are often at the hands of men. 

Perhaps Yahweh Will Do With Us According to All His Miraculous Acts

Jeremiah 21:1–7
Zedekiah had been placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar but rebelled against him. So, Nebuchadnezzar comes against Jerusalem for the third and final time because in

2 Chronicles 36:12 “And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for Yahweh”.

Now, Zedekiah comes asking Jeremiah to intercede for him with the Lord, but the Lord has exhausted himself with Zedekiah. So the Lord says in

Jeremiah 21:7 “I will give Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those who remain in this city from the plague, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar”.

The Way of Life and the Way of Death

Jeremiah 21:8–14

Place the Pot! Boil it Vigorously

Ezekiel 24:1–8 

According to Your Ways and Your Deeds

Ezekiel 24:9–17
The Lord gives Ezekiel and object lesson for the people of Jerusalem to see. In Ezekiel 24:1 he says “Woe to the city of bloodguilt!”. Then put the boiling pot on the fire and fill it but the pot is dirty, full of rust in

Ezekiel 24:10–11 “Pile up the logs; kindle the fire; finish cooking the meat, and mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned. 11 And make it stand empty upon its burning coals so that it may become hot, and its copper may become molten and be melted in the midst of it, so that its uncleanness and its rust be consumed”.

The message is clear as “the interpretation of the parable in vv. 10ff. is clothed in the form of a thing actually done. The pot with the pieces of flesh and the bones, which are to be boiled in it and boiled away, represents Jerusalem with its inhabitants. The fire, with which they are boiled, is the fire of war, and the setting of the pot upon the fire is the commencement of the siege, by which the population of the city is to be boiled away like the flesh and bones in a pot”.1

Now he says in Ezekiel 24:14 “According to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you!”. It is up to the Chaldeans to judge. It is by their standards that they would be judged. And the king, Zedekiah, had rebelled not only against God, but also against Nebuchadrezzar in 2 Chronicles 36:13 and Jeremiah 52:3. And in Jeremiah 52:4-7 we find the year and a half siege of Jerusalem ending in famine for the city and then a breach where the city was overtaken.

You Shall Waste Away Because of Your Iniquities

Ezekiel 24:18–27

You Rejoiced in Yourself With All of Your Malice Over the Land of Israel

Ezekiel 25:1–7 

Because of Moab and Seir, Edom, the Philistines

Ezekiel 25:8–17
The Lord decrees punishment on three of “the house of Israels” neighbors and each according to their actions.

  • First, is Moab and Seir who said in Ezekiel 25:8 ‘The house of Judah is like all of the nations’.

    These three, “Moab, Seir, and Ammon were contiguous countries, stretching in one line from Gilead on the north to the Red Sea … (they said) The Jews fare no better than others: it is of no use to them to serve Jehovah, who, they say, is the only true God”.2

    These people denied the power of God and treated Israel as common, “Their crime is contempt for Judah and rejection of her claims to be a peculiar people with a uniquely powerful God … Oracles against Moab occur in the writings of other prophets also (cf. Isa. 15; 16; Jer. 48; Amos 2:1–3; Zeph. 2:8–11)”.3

    Their punishment is in Ezekiel 25:10 “the Ammonites will not be remembered among the nations”.

  • Second is Edom in Ezekiel 25:12 “avenging himself with vengeance for the house of Judah”.

    “It was not simple hatred, but deep-brooding, implacable revenge. The grudge of Edom or Esau was originally for Jacob’s robbing him of Isaac’s blessing (Ge 25:23; 27:27–41) … They therefore gave vent to their spite by joining the Chaldeans in destroying Jerusalem (Ps 137:7; La 4:22; Ob 1:10–14), and then intercepting and killing the fugitive Jews (Am 1:11) and occupying part of the Jewish land as far as Hebron”.4

    Edom’s punishment is in Ezekiel 25:13 “I will make it a ruin from Teman and Dedan; they will fall by the sword”. But this punishment will not come through the Caldeans, instead, in Ezekiel 25:14 “And I will exact my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel”.

  • Last is the Philistines who in

    Ezekiel 25:15 “avenged themselves relentlessly with malice in themselves for destruction with everlasting hostility”.

    Their punishment is in

    Ezekiel 25:17 “And I will execute on them great vengeance with punishments of rage, and they will know that I am Yahweh when I exact my vengeance on them!”

    But it is this last part of the verse that is of note because it is not the mercy of God that we may expect. Here the Lord says “They shall know Me, not in mercy, but by My vengeance on them (Ps 9:16)”.5

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Jeremiah 21:1-14
  • Ezekiel 23:40-49
  • Ezekiel 24:1-27
  • Ezekiel 25:1-17

References

  • 1. Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 9, p. 195). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 598). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 3. Taylor, J. B. (1969). Ezekiel: an Introduction and commentary (Vol. 22, p. 184). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 4. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 598–599). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 5. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 599). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

Things Are No Longer the Same

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For many years, life in Jerusalem has been in the hands of the king. And at his side, the prophets inquiring of the Lord. And the Priests in their ministry and teaching of the people. But now the Lord says in Ezekiel 21:26 “Remove the turban and lift off the crown; things are no longer the same”. All authority as they knew it was being revoked. A sword was released in the land and the people were scattered to the nations. But here, the prophet speaks the decrees. He names their sin and not just the sin of the king or the sin of the people, but the sin of those in power who were charged with authority over the people. The prophets take wealth, the priests do not teach, the officials make dishonest gain. And in in Ezekiel 22:29 “They severely oppress the people of the land”. 

Things Are No Longer the Same

Ezekiel 21:24–32
The Lord has declared a sword across the land and says in Ezekiel 21:24 “Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt by the uncovering of your transgressions, so that your sins in all of your deeds appear”. This refers to the pledge given to Nebuchadnezzar that was broken, and this now brings to light all of the transgressions of this king who is now described in

Ezekiel 21:25 “And as for you, profane one, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come with the time of the punishment of the end”

Now, his position as king is taken as the Lord says in Ezekiel 21:26 “Remove the turban and lift off the crown”. But this doesn’t just affect the King, it goes on to say, “things are no longer the same. Exalt the low and bring low the high”. the false profits in the kings court have been saying things will be restored, but the Lord says, no, “things are no longer the same”. And in

Ezekiel 21:27 “A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it! Also this has not ever happened; it will remain until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it to him”.

Then the Lord decrees the sword also for the Ammonites. But for them, there is not a “coming of the one” as there is for Judah. For the Ammonites it says, in Ezekiel 21:32 “You will not be remembered”. 

Will You Judge the Bloody City?

Ezekiel 22:1–10
Someone must bring the decrees of the Lord. He is the judge, but the words of the judgement must be spoken. So, the Lord asks in Ezekiel 22:1 “Will you judge the bloody city?” and then declares the requirement for fulfilling the job, “Then you must make known to her all of her detestable things!”

This is a hard position, and “As in 20:4 and 23:36, the phrase wilt thou judge (or ‘are you prepared to judge?’, JB) means much more than simply acting as arbiter. It involves the prophet in the job which today is done partly by the prosecutor, and partly by the judge when he passes sentence on a man already pronounced guilty by a jury. So Ezekiel’s ‘judging’ consists of showing to the guilty city of Jerusalem both the extent of her crimes and also the consequences that are about to be inflicted upon her. He is in a sense ‘justifying’ both the verdict and the punishment”.1

And the Lord lays out “the sins of Jerusalem … judicial murder, bribery, and false witness (6, 9, 12); dishonour done to parents (7); sacrifice to false gods (9); gross sins of the flesh (10, 11); oppression and extortion (7, 12). For all these sins Jehovah will ‘deal with’ the city.2

I Will Purge Your Uncleanness From You

Ezekiel 22:11–20
Their sins, not just the leaders, but also the people have a corrupt culture. And the Lord can only break this by dispersing them and says in

Ezekiel 22:15 “I will scatter you among the nations, and I will disperse you through the countries, and I will purge your uncleanness from you”.

They Do Not Distinguish Between Holy and Unholy

Ezekiel 22:21–31
In Ezekiel 22:25 “its prophets … devour people, and they take wealth and treasure; they make its widows numerous”. And in Ezekiel 22:26 “Its priests treat my law violently, and they profane my holy objects; they do not distinguish between a holy object and what is unholy, or between the clean and the unclean. They do not teach”. And in Ezekiel 22:27 “Its officials are like wolves tearing prey in its midst, to pour out blood, to destroy people, to make dishonest gain”. And he goes on in Ezekiel 22:29 “They severely oppress the people of the land, and they committed robbery, and they mistreated the needy and the poor, and they oppressed the alien without justice.

This is all contrary to what the Lord has asked, in fact in

Proverbs 21:3 “Doing righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.

The Lord only wants them to “do righteousness and justice”. But the Lord does not devise some strange punishment, instead he simply gives them what they have been giving to others. The Lord says in Ezekiel 22:31 “With the fire of my wrath I destroyed them; I returned their way upon their head”.

There Were Two Women

Ezekiel 23:1–10

In Her Lust She Behaved More Corruptly

Ezekiel 23:11–21

I Will Put an End to Your Obscene Conduct

Ezekiel 23:22–30

Because You Threw Me Behind Your Back

Ezekiel 23:31–39

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Ezekiel 21:24-32
  • Ezekiel 22:1-31
  • Ezekiel 23:1-39

References

  • 1. Taylor, J. B. (1969). Ezekiel: an Introduction and commentary (Vol. 22, p. 165). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Barnes, W. E. (1942). Ezekiel. In C. Gore, H. L. Goudge, & A. Guillaume (Eds.), A New Commentary on Holy Scripture: Including the Apocrypha (Vol. 1, p. 534). New York: The Macmillan Company.
Devotions

I Will Show Myself Holy Among You

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The Israelites have the name of the Lord and claim the Lord as their protector. And, in Ezekiel 20:1 “the elders of Israel came to consult Yahweh”. But they have a form of seeking the Lord, they have a form of obedience to the Lords commands, but the Lord shows over and over, as in Ezekiel 8:6 “Do you see what they are doing—great detestable things”. So, we find the Lord saying “I acted for the sake of my name” in Ezekiel 20:9. Judgement and dispersion come. A sword is released and the nation is broken as the world looks on. But the Lord is faithful to remember his word and promises to gather them and says in Ezekiel 20:41 “I will show myself holy among you before the eyes of the nations”. 

Are You Coming to Consult Me?

Ezekiel 20:1–9
In Ezekiel 20:1 “the elders of Israel came to consult Yahweh” which was the right thing for them to have done, at least this is the right order of things because the prophet was the spokesman for the Lord. Except that, The Lord had spoken in the fifth year in Ezekiel 1:2 and said in Ezekiel 2:3 “I am sending you to the Israelites, to nations who are rebelling, who rebelled against me, they and their ancestors, they transgressed against me until this very day”. Then the Lord had spoken in the sixth year in Ezekiel 8:1 and said in Ezekiel 8:6 “Do you see what they are doing—great detestable things that the house of Israel is committing”.

Now, in the seventh year the Lord says in Ezekiel 20:3 “I will surely not allow myself to be consulted by you!” and the Lord lays out his reason. In Ezekiel 20:7 he had said to them, “Let each one throw away the detestable things” and in Ezekiel 20:8 he says, “But they rebelled against me, and they were not willing to listen to me; each one did not”. And we hear a phrase that is repeated, “I acted for the sake of my name” in Ezekiel 20:9.

I Acted for the Sake of My Name

Ezekiel 20:10–20
The Lord delivered them out of Egypt and gave them statutes for life in Ezekiel 20:11 and in Ezekiel 20:12 “And also my Sabbaths I gave to them to be a sign between me and between them so they would know that I, Yahweh, am the one sanctifying them”. But in Ezekiel 20:13 “in the desert they rebelled”. So, the Lord said to their children in Ezekiel 20:18 “You must not go in the statutes of your parents”.

Not to be Profaned Before the Eyes of the Nations

Ezekiel 20:21–29
But the children of the exodus also rebelled in Ezekiel 20:21 yet the Lord held back in Ezekiel 20:22 “I acted for the sake of my name not to be profaned before the eyes of the nations”. Then in Ezekiel 20:25 “And in turn I gave to them rules that were not good and regulations by which they will not live”.

The meaning in this next verse is a bit difficult because the Lord was not asking for the sacrifice of the first born as the pagans did. In Ezekiel 20:26 “And I defiled them through their gifts in sacrificing all of the first offspring of the womb, in order that I will cause them to be stunned, so that they will know that I am Yahweh”. Is better understood as two parts, “I had willed that the first-born should be redeemed as being Mine, but they imposed on themselves the cruel rites of offering them to Molech” (De 18:10) … (and) that they may be compelled to know Me as a powerful Judge, since they were unwilling to know Me as a gracious Father”.1

I Will Not Let Myself be Consulted by You!

Ezekiel 20:30–40 

I Will Show Myself Holy Among You Before the Eyes of the Nations

Ezekiel 20:41–49
The Lord has a plan and it is a plan for good for those that love him. Sadly, this comes after the judgement on those that were rebellious and after the house of Israel is scattered among the nations in Ezekiel 17:21. But now, the Lord says in Ezekiel 20:41 “I will accept you … bring you out … gather you …, and I will show myself holy among you before the eyes of the nations”.

We know that the world is looking at what happens with us as Christians, and it was no different here. The world saw that the Lord is holy. For the house of Israel, they saw that the Lord keeps his covenant, his promise to “bring you to the land of Israel, to the land that I swore to give to your ancestors” in Ezekiel 20:42 and they “will know that I am Yahweh”. But the house of Israel also “will remember there your ways, and all of your deeds … and you will feel a loathing for yourself for all of your evils”. There is a day when we each will understand where we missed the Lords perfect will, and the pain we suffered or caused because we fell short. Or as it says in

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, in order that each one may receive back the things through the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad”.

I Will Draw Out My Sword From Its Sheath

Ezekiel 21:1–13
This word begins a little earlier in Ezekiel 20:45 when the Lord says “set your face toward the way of the South” and in Ezekiel 20:47 “I am kindling against you a fire”. He continues in Ezekiel 21:2 “set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach to the sanctuaries, and prophecy to the land of Israel”. There won’t be a safe place, a sanctuary and there won’t be a place to run to, the land for them to escape the judgement that is coming. Then he says in Ezekiel 21:3 “I will draw out my sword from its sheath, and I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked”. It may not seem fair to us, but there are times when the Lord must break the control that people have over the land, over the region where they live and it happens by scattering them abroad.

Here, everyone is affected because in Ezekiel 21:10 “It is sharpened to slaughter a slaughter, polished to flash like lightning” and in Ezekiel 21:11 “It is sharpened—a sword—and it is polished to give it into the hand of the killer”.

I Gave a Sword for Slaughter

Ezekiel 21:14–23

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Ezekiel 20:1-49
  • Ezekiel 21:1-23

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 591). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

He Gave His Hand in Pledge

by  • 

The Lord is faithful to his word and he is looking for those that are also faithful. The Lord is righteous and just and is looking for those that will, in Ezekiel 18:5 do “righteousness and justice”. But even more than this, the Lord is looking to put an end to wickedness and oppression and injustice. And here, through the prophet, he decrees in Ezekiel 18:4 “The person sinning will die”. But it is the one that turns from wickedness, that is the Lords delight. Each and every person, each one of us has a choice to turn and choose Jesus Christ and to live in the power of the Holy Spirit until, as it says in Ephesians 4:13 “we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ”. 

He Gave His Hand in Pledge

Ezekiel 17:11–24
The kings of Israel have been making alliances with the nations around them and serving them. So, the Lord says in Ezekiel 17:12 “The king of Babylon will come to Jerusalem, and he will take its king and its officials, and he will bring them to himself, to Babylon”.

Now, the king left behind to rule in Jerusalem “gave his hand in pledge” in Ezekiel 17:18. But this same king in Ezekiel 17:15 “rebelled against him (Nebuchadnezzar) by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army”.

So, the Lord goes on to say to this king in Jerusalem who pledged one day to Nebuchadnezzar and the next went to the King of Egypt breaking his pledge, to this king the Lord says in

Ezekiel 17:16 As I live,’ declares the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely in the place of the king who made him king, who despised his oath and who broke his covenant with him—in the midst of Babylon he will die.

 

If a Man is Righteous and Does Justice

Ezekiel 18:1–9
Again we hear a proverb of the land, in Ezekiel 18:2 ‘The fathers, they ate unripe fruit, and the teeth of the child became blunt’. But the Lord says in Ezekiel 18:3 “it will surely not any longer be appropriate for you to quote this proverb in Israel!”

Clearly there is a reaction by the Lord to this proverb, but this saying doesn’t have meaning for us. The explanation is that “The sour grapes which the fathers eat are the sins which they commit; the setting of the children’s teeth on edge is the consequence thereof, i.e., the suffering which the children have to endure (because of their fathers sins) … Nevertheless the proverb contained a most dangerous and fatal error … God will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children who hate Him, and who also walk in the footsteps of their fathers’ sins; but to those who love Him, and keep His commandments, He will show mercy to the thousandth generation”.1

Now, we can understand the response as the Lord says in Ezekiel 18:4 “The person sinning will die”. The children will not be punished for their parents transgressions, they will though, be held accountable personally, in Ezekiel 18:5 to do “righteousness and justice” and then, in Ezekiel 18:9 “certainly he will live”.

The Righteousness of the Righteous Shall be on Him

Ezekiel 18:10–20
Ezekiel, speaking the word of the Lord, lays out the life choices of every person. He began with the father that in Ezekiel 18:5 “is righteous and does justice” and in Ezekiel 18:9 “he will live”. Then goes to the son of this righteous man in Ezekiel 18:10 “a violent one” and in Ezekiel 18:12 “He oppresses the needy and the poor, and he commits robbery” and in Ezekiel 18:13 “Surely he will die! His blood will be on him”. But then he goes to another son in

Ezekiel 18:14 “And look! He has a son, and he sees all of the sin of his father that he did, and he sees it, but he does not do it”. For this son, in Ezekiel 18:17 “he does my regulations; he goes in my statutes. He will not die because of the guilt of his father; he will surely live!

Now he repeats from Ezekiel 18:4 and expands to decree also over the righteous in Ezekiel 18:20 “The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him; the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him”. 

I Have No Pleasure in the Death of the Dying

Ezekiel 18:21–32
But he doesn’t stop with the example of sons that learn righteousness or evil from their fathers. He goes on to describe one that turns from wickedness in

Ezekiel 18:21 “But if the wicked returns from all of his sins that he has done and he keeps all of my statutes and he does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die!”

The Lord says it isn’t how we start, it is how we finish in

Ezekiel 18:22 “All of his transgressions that he committed will not be remembered against him. Through his righteousness that he has done he shall live”.

And the Lord also says in

Ezekiel 18:24 And when the righteous turns from his righteousness, so that he does injustice … because of his infidelity that he displayed, and because of his sin that he committed. Through them he shall die.

Here we learn something about the nature of God. He asks a question in

Ezekiel 18:23 “Have I delight by any means in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord Yahweh, and not at his turning from his way, so that he lives?

And the answer is clearly, he has no delight in death, or in oppression, or in wickedness. But when someone turns to righteousness, that is his delight. It is when someone “does righteousness and justice” as he says in

Isaiah 58:6-14 “Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of injustice …”

Or from the mouth of Jesus in

Luke 4:18–19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Raise a Lament About the Leaders of Israel

Ezekiel 19:1–14

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Ezekiel 17:11-24
  • Ezekiel 18:1-32
  • Ezekiel 19:1-14

References

  • 1. Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 9, pp. 142–143). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.