This week, we shall continue the study
of the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
Following the accusations by the Lord of the rebellious streak of Israel from her beginning, the Lord further pronounces her coming judgment in the hands of the Chaldeans with the repeated command to the prophet to “set your face” (20:45, 21:1). The former section is the parable and the latter its interpretation:
20:45-49—The Parable of Setting the Face to the South
(1) In commanding Ezekiel to set his face toward the south which refers to the kingdom of Judah (as explained in 21:1-5), what is the metaphor used for her destruction?
(2) How thorough will the destruction be? (v. 47a)
(3) How do we know that the trees in fact refer to people? (v. 47b)
(4) Is there any hope for the fire's quenching? (v. 48)
(5) How do the people respond to this oracle by the Lord? (v. 49; see God’s instruction in 17:1)
21:1-5—Its Interpretation
(6) What is the three-fold target of the Lord’s judgment? (21:2)
(7) Why does the Lord include the sanctuary as the target?
(8) Instead of “fire”, what is the metaphor now used by the Lord of His judgment? (21:3)
(9) Based on 21:3b, what is meant by the consumption of all trees, “both green and dry” in 20:47?
(10) How thorough will the slaughtering be? (21:4)
(11) Is there any hope for the halting of the sword? (21:5)
(12) This was obviously fulfilled historically by the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar. But do you think that “Everyone will see that (He) the Lord (has) kindled" the fire (20:48) or know that He has "drawn the sword" (21:5)? Why or why not?
21:6-7—Call to Groan
(13) How should Ezekiel mourn as a result? (21:6)
(14) Why? (21:7)
(15) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Ah, Sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?'.” (Ezek. 20:49)
After some two years of ministry as the prophet of the Lord, Ezekiel has relentlessly and faithfully unleashed the words of judgment by the Lord to the people, sometimes through plain words of exhortation, sometimes through dramatic acts and sometimes through riddles or parables, like the allegory of fire in 20:45-48. The result is obviously disheartening to Ezekiel, because the people sneer at his preaching and say, “Isn’t he just telling parables?" (20:49).
How would you feel if you were Ezekiel? For two years now, you did exactly as the Lord had told you, even lying on one side (likely at night) for over a year (4:5) and you even had to eat bread baked from cow manure (4:15); yet the people laughed at you as if you were an idiot and did not take your words of impending, horrific judgment seriously!
However, Ezekiel’s experience is not unique. Moses was almost stoned by his people (Exod. 17:4); Jeremiah, Ezekiel's contemporary in Jerusalem, was put into prison (Jer. 37:15), not to mention the martyrdom of many of the apostles who followed the example of our Lord who was “despised and rejected by man” (Isa. 53:3) and subsequently died on the cross. This is the ministry all servants of the Lord are called into—a ministry despised by the world and which often does not produce instant or visible results, and yet, a ministry that demands us to be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).
The word of judgment continues with the sword-analogy which prophesies Babylon as God’s tool for His judgment (see 21:18)
21:8-17—The Sharpened and Polished Sword of Judgment
(1) Why is the sword of judgement described as sharpened and polished? (v. 10)
(2) What will this sword do that causes the Lord to ask the prophet to cry, wail and beat his breast? (vv. 11-13; note the repeated mention of the “scepter of Judah” which symbolizes the Davidic kingdom)
(3) Why does the message depicting the destruction of Jerusalem begin with calling the prophet to strike his hands (v. 14) and ended with the Lord Himself striking His hands as well (v. 17)?
21:18-27—Divine Providence and False Piety
(4) The Lord asks Ezekiel to act out the decision process that Nebuchadnezzar will make (vv. 18-22; see note below).
a. What will Nebuchadnezzar do to make his decision regarding which nation to attack? (v. 21)
b. What will the outcome of his pagan divination be? (v. 22)
c. Does it mean that pagan divination could be accurate or that “even heathenism is subject to the rule and guidance of Almighty God” (Keil)?
(5) The sins of the people and prince of Israel (vv. 23-27)
a. Why would the people of Judah think that such an omen so obtained by Nebuchadnezzar is false? (v. 23) Are they justified in their thinking?
b. How will the Lord remind them of their guilt? (v. 24)
c. The judgment against the prince of Israel (i.e. Zedekiah at the time):
- What is to be removed from him? (v. 26)
- Who is the one that it will be restored to? (v. 27)
- Why is this One who will take over the turban and the crown called the “lowly”? (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5)
21:28-32—The Total Destruction of the Ammonites
(6) Why does the Lord call Nebuchadnezzar’s divinations false and lying? (v. 29)
(7) Will the sword of Nebuchadnezzar spare the Ammonites? (vv. 28-29)
(8) What are the sins of the Ammonites, who were once an ally of Judah (Jer. 27:3), at the destruction of Jerusalem? (25:3, 6; Zeph. 2:8)
(9) What will the fate of the Ammonites be? (v. 32)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
The place where the signpost is
to be made is likely Damascus where
“a traveler from the north would need to make a decision to take the left branch of the fork and proceed southward along the Golan and east of the Jordan or the right branch running [sic*] Palestine west of the Jordan…Rabbah of Bene Ammon represents the full designation for the Ammonite capital…This (modern Amman) the only Ammonite city named in the OT was located twenty-three miles east of the Jordan and served as an important stop on the King’s Highway.”
(NICOT, 684)
[*running through]
“For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen. He will cast lots and arrow, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver.” (Ezek. 21:21)
The
foretelling of how Nebuchadnezzar would decide which nation he would attack,
and his subsequent eradication of the Ammonites,
serves to demonstrate the sovereignty of the Lord in the following ways.
- As much as this pagan king of Babylon resorted to practices that are abhorred by the Lord, unknown to Nebuchadnezzar, he and his abominable practices would be used by God to accomplish His will, acting as God’s sword to punish and purify His people. This, in no way, validates the use of divination.
“All that is proved by this fact is, that even heathenism is subject to the rule and guidance of the Almighty God, and is made subservient to the accomplishment of the plans of both His kingdom and His salvation.”
(K&D, 171)
- As Keil also insightfully points
out that it is God’s plan to use Babylon to
“smite not only Judah but the Ammonites also. Jerusalem and Judah will be the first to fall, and then the arch-enemy of the covenant nation, namely Ammon, will succumb to the strokes of the sword of Jehovah, in order that the embittered enemies of the Lord and His people may learn that the fall of Jerusalem is not, as they fancy, a proof of the impotence, but rather the omnipotence of God…The parallel between Israel and the sons of Ammon is carried out in such a way to give constant prominence to the distinction between them. Jerusalem will fall, the ancient theocracy will be destroyed till He shall come Who will restore the right (vv. 26 and 27). Ammon, on the other hand, will perish and not a trace be left (vv. 31, 32).”
(K&D, 170)
In this oracle, the Lord accuses Jerusalem as a “city of bloodshed”, beginning with a call to Ezekiel to judge her (vv. 1-5), followed by a detailed list of her sins.
22:1-5—The City of Bloodshed
(1) Which two particular sins does the Lord mention in asking the prophet to judge Jerusalem? (vv. 1-4)
(2) Idolatry
is bad enough, but for the city of Jerusalem, the center of Yahweh’s worship to
be marked by bloodshed was worse.
a. What impact will it have on the name of the Lord among the nations?
b. What could have happened to cause this city of God to degenerate into such a pitiful state?
(3) What is the result of their spiritual downfall? (v. 5)
22:6-12—Details of Her Sins
(4) Who are responsible for the bloodshed? (v. 6)
(5) Do you think they have to carry out the killing themselves? (v. 12)
(6) In this detailed list of their sins, see if you can group them under the following headings:
a. Injustice and lack of mercy
b. Spiritual apathy and idolatry
c. Sexual perversion
d. Unethical behaviors
e. Others
(7) What kind of religious society has Jerusalem turned into?
22:13-16—God’s Judgment
(8) Which two sins have caused God to strike His hands? Why? (v. 13)
(9) Will they be able to withstand God’s wrath? Why or why not? (v. 14)
(10) Why is the dispersion of them among the nations the ultimate punishment to God’s people? (v. 15)
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life
“I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries, and I will put an end to your uncleanness.” (Ezek. 22:15)
As a child, I was subjected to physical punishment at the hand of my father that would amount to physical abuse in today’s society. But my greatest fear was not these punishments, but these words that my father said to me, “Leave and never come back again”. It was the ultimate punishment because it meant that I would not only be driven out of my home, but I would be disowned by my father. Such is the punishment God pronounces to the wicked city of Jerusalem.
On the one hand, it demonstrates the justice of the Lord in honoring His words in Leviticus 26:33-39 and Deuteronomy 28:64-68. He told them more than 1,000 years ago in the Law of Moses that this would be the consequence if they worshipped other gods and did not keep His decrees.
On the other hand, this signifies His rejection of them as His people by driving them out of the land He promised to them and by destroying His own temple — a clear sign of His departure from both the land and people.
But as we have repeatedly heard from Ezekiel, our God is such a loving God that He would never forsake them and leave them (Deut. 31:6). In His great plan of salvation through the Messiah, His own begotten Son, He has promised that one day “there in the land, the entire house of Israel will serve me, and I will accept them” (Ezek. 20:40).
This is also the confidence that we can have even in our sins that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9). Indeed, He is our loving heavenly Father.
22:17-22—The Allegory of Dross (see Note below)
(1) From this allegory, what was Israel meant to be and what has it become? (v. 18)
(2) How appropriate is this analogy?
(3) Using this allegory, what is the purpose of gathering them into Jerusalem? (vv. 19-22)
(4) What does this allergy serve to illustrate?
22:23-30—Everyone is Responsible
(5) This message of rebuke is preceded by describing the land as one which has no rain or showers (v. 24). What does this description signify within the context of God’s covenant with Israel? (see Deut. 11:11-14; 17)
(6) The guilt of the nation basically extends to
all segments of society. What are the
sins of each of the following groups?
a. The princes (i.e. kings) (v. 25)
b. The priests (v. 26)
c. The Officials (v. 27)
d. The Prophets (v. 28)
e. The people in general (v. 29)
(7) With kind of picture is painted of such a nation?
(8) What was God hoping to find in their midst and why? (v. 30)
(9) Why couldn’t God find even one? What about Ezekiel (among the exiles) or Jeremiah (in Jerusalem)?
(10) What might be the contemporary message to us today?
(11) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“These ores often contain significant amounts of copper, zinc, tin, and other materials as well. Because silver is often found in lead ores, the extraction of one frequently involves the refinement of other.”
(NICOT, Ezekiel, 717)
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ezek. 22:30)
The widespread rebellion against the Lord is testified by the fact that everyone within the nation of Israel is guilty of it, and that includes, the kings, the priest, the officials, the prophets and the people (22:25-29). In other words, the nation has gone so far away from God that their repentance is extremely unlikely, and that is being reinforced by this statement by the Lord: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none” (22:30).
But one has to ask: What about Jeremiah in Jerusalem and Ezekiel among the exiles? They have certainly boldly and faithfully called the nation to repentance, and they have certainly interceded for the people (see Jer. 14:17-22; Ezek. 11:13).
It is certainly God’s intention to find someone to stand before Him in the gap to intercede for the people. Keil points out that “This is apparent from the simple fact that…the intercession of Abraham for Sodom (Gen. 18:13ff) was floating before the mind of Ezekiel, since the concluding words of the verse contain an obvious allusion to Gen. 18:28.” (K&D, 183)
However, the Lord is not just looking for someone to intercede, but also someone who would, within his power, lead the people back to God as a nation. “The image of Yahweh searching for someone to man the breach is military, peres denotes a hole in the city wall, resulting either from neglect or from assault by the enemy’s battering rams.” (NICOT, Ezekiel, 727) Such can only be brought about by a king, like Josiah (2 Chr. 34). Alas, under Zedekiah, no righteous scepter of Judah will again be found. (Ezek. 21:13)
As a result, none is found who can both be a priest or advocate (Heb. 2:17) and a king to rebuild the tent of Israel (Amos 9:11, 12; Acts 15:16), until the arrival of our Lord Jesus who is the Messiah/Christ of Israel.
Samaria and Jerusalem, as capitals, are representatives of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah:
23:1-4—The Origin of Their Adultery against the Lord
Samaria (Israel), with ten tribes, is called the older (or greater) sister and her name is Oholah, meaning “her tent”. She is contrasted with Jerusalem (Judah), with two tribes, as her younger sister and the Lord calls her Oholibah, “my tent in her”:
(1) When God says “my tent”, what does He refer to? (Exod. 40:34)
(2) So what does it mean by the name of Jerusalem?
(3) Samaria’s name, by contrast, is “her tent”: What does it signify?
(4) Both sisters became prostitutes in Egypt: What does it mean? (see 20:7)
23:5-10—The Charges against Samaria
(5) The sin of Samaria was of two fold (vv. 5-8)
a. First was her alliance with the Assyrians (vv. 5-6)
- Why was she attracted to the Assyrians?
- Can you trace one of the incidents of her alliance with the Assyrians? (see 2 Ki. 15:19-20)
b. Second was her adoption of the idols of the nations (v. 7)
- See one of the most blatant examples in 1 Kings 16:30-33.
- When did their idol worship begin? (v. 8)
(6) Their judgment (vv. 9-10)
a. What judgment did they receive from the hands of God?
b. How did this judgment come to pass historically? (see 2 Ki. 17:1-6)
23:11-21—The Charges against Jerusalem
(7) How does the Lord compare Jerusalem against Samaria? (v. 11)
(8) What sin did Judah commit that was similar to Samaria’s? (v. 12; see 2 Ki. 16:7-9)
(9) “But she carried her prostitution still further” (vv. 14-18)
a. How was she attracted also to the Chaldeans? (v. 14, see note below)
b. Did her alliance with the Chaldeans last? (v. 17)
c. How did the Lord respond to her unfaithfulness? (v. 18)
(10) “Yet she became more and more promiscuous” (vv. 19-21)
a. To whom did they turn to after their fallout with the Chaldeans? (v. 19; Judah’s alliance with Egypt was implied in 2 Ki. 24:7)
b. As gross a picture as it is, why does the Lord use such a picture to depict the sins of Judah? (vv. 20-21)
(11) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“The description of these engravings answers perfectly to the sculptures upon the inner walls of the Assyrian palaces in the monuments of Nimrud, Khorsbad, and Kouyunjik. The pictures of the Chaldeans are not mythological figures … but sculptures depicting war-scenes, triumphal processions of Chaldean rulers and warriors, with which the Assyrian palaces were adorned.”
(K&D, 187)
Judah’s fascination with the Chaldeans began as early as the reign of Hezekiah (2 Ki. 20:12-13).
“As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.” (Ezek. 23:16)
I am sure we, modern readers, are a bit shocked by the rather explicit sexual language used by the Lord to depict the unfaithfulness of both Samaria and Judah in this chapter, but as Daniel Block puts it: “The coarse speech represents an intentional rhetorical strategy, designed not only to shock the audience, but also to reflect Yahweh’s disgust with Oholibah’s behavior” (NICOT, Ezekiel, 747). And the disgust expressed in this speech focuses mainly on the repeated seeking of alliances by Samaria and Judah with neighboring nations for help — it was a clear sign of not wanting to trust in Yahweh and Yahweh alone.
Why would they choose to trust the Assyrians, the Chaldeans and the Egyptians? Surprisingly, the Lord links this to their fascination over the glamorous decors and imposing figures of the warriors and rulers of these nations: “warriors clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men and mounted horsemen” (23:6). We may say, “How shallow could they be!” And yet, this is a reminder to all of us, that we too are often drawn to the rich, the powerful, the brilliant and the talented, and are prone to put our trust in them. However, anytime we tend to put our trust in men instead of the Lord, we are guilty of the same sin of Samaria and Judah and become “prostitutes” in the eyes of the Lord.
The punishment of Judah (Oholibah)—this part of the pronouncement is full of contrast.
(1) The tools for punishments are their “former lovers” (v. 22)
a. How does this speak to their promiscuity?
b. How fitting is this punishment?
(2) How does the Lord describe these invading nations? (v. 23)
(3) What does their description remind Ezekiel’s audience of? (see 23:5-6, 15)
(4) What is God’s purpose in such a reminder?
(5) How well equipped will they be? (v. 24)
(6) How cruel and utter will their punishment be? (vv. 25-26)
(7) Do you think the above description is literal or only metaphorical? Why? (you may want to read today’s Meditative Article)
(8) What is God’s purpose in bringing upon them this punishment? (vv. 27-30)
(9) In using a cup as a metaphor for their punishment (vv. 32-34):
a. In what way(s) are the fates of Samaria and Jerusalem similar?
b. The cup is described as large and deep: What does it mean?
c. What are the contents of this cup?
d. How fitting is this metaphor of a cup to the demise of Judah?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“They will cut off you noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword.’” (Ezek. 23:25)
Over and over again, the Lord warns His people about the horrific nature of the impending judgment. Like this punishment directed at Oholibah (the nick name of Judah), to be inflicted by her former lovers (allies), the horrific nature of the punishment includes the cutting off of their noses and ears. However, we might wonder if such is simply a metaphor or a prediction of an actual event. Daniel Block has helpfully shown us that these were part of the actual war-scenes in ancient times by quoting the following excerpt from the annals of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859):
“I fell with the sword 800 of their combat troops, I burnt 3,000 captives from them, I did not leave one of them alive as a hostage. I captured alive Hulaya their city ruler. I made a pile of their corpses. I burnt their adolescent boys (and) girls. I flayed Hulaya their city ruler (and) draped his skin over the wall of the city of Damdammusa. I razed, destroyed, (and) burnt the city…Moving on from the city Kinabu I approached the city Tela. The city was well fortified…I fell 3,000 of their fighting men with sword. I carried off prisoners, possessions, oxen (and) cattle from them. I burnt many captives from them. I captured many troops alive: I cut off of some their arms (and) hands; I cut off of their noses, ears (and) extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made one pile of the living (and) one of heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city. I burnt their adolescent boys (and) girls. I razed, destroyed, burnt (and) consumed the city.”
(NICOT, Ezekiel, 751-2)
One has to shudder at the fate of Judah and ask, “Why would you not listen to the warning of the Lord?” Since such was the fate of Judah according to the sure Word of the Lord, one has to shudder at the fate of those who do not believe in the Son of God!
The second phase of punishment for Samaria (Oholah) and Judah (Oholibah) (see Note below)
(1) What have all the adulterous acts of Judah amounted to, as far as the Lord is concerned? (v. 35)
(2) A list of the detestable practices of Samaria and Judah (vv. 36-39)
a. V. 37a appears to be a summary accusation: How are all these detestable practices summarized as?
b. More specifically what does their adultery refer to? (v. 37b)
c. In their idol worship, which epitomizes their wicked practices? (v. 37b)
d. How do they defile God’s sanctuary and His Sabbaths at the same time (within the same day of their Moloch worship)? (vv. 38-39)
(3) Adulterous act with the nations (vv. 40-44)
a. From the early rebuke in v.16, who were the men she (Judah) sent for? (v. 40)
b. Read 2 Kings 20:12-15 to see a rather fitting incident of flirting with the Chaldeans by Judah: How does the Lord describe such an adulterous act here? (vv. 40-41)
c. V. 42 expands such an adulterous act to the Sabeans (people from the desert) by both sisters (Samaria and Judah). Who might these lovers include? (see v. 23)
d. Given these repeated and continuous behaviors, what does the Lord call Judah? (v. 43a)
(4) God’s judgment (vv. 45-49)
a. Whom does the Lord use to carry out His sentence? (v. 45; see Habakkuk 1:6 and his objection in 1:13)
b. What is the sentence of Judah likened to? (vv. 46-47)
c. To whom should the fate of Judah be a warning? (v. 48)
d. Do you think the world has learned from Judah’s fate? Why or why not?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Keil sees the two names as a contrast in that Judah has God’s tabernacle in it, hence the name Oholibah (my tent in her); while Samaria has her own tent for her idols, hence the name Oholah (her tent).
“So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.” (Ezek. 23:48)
In rebuking Samaria and Jerusalem as a couple of adulterous sisters, we may be shocked by some of the sexual language employed, but it only serves to help us understand how sacred a relationship we have with our Lord and that relationship demands singular devotion. The Lord considers our devotion to not just another idol, but any other person or object, adultery, the violation of our marriage covenant with Him.
And,
in using the sacredness of a marriage covenant to denote our relationship with
Him, we are reminded that
“in God’s eyes adultery is an abhorrent evil, not only because it perverts the sex act but especially because it violates the covenant bond of marriage. Apart from the marital covenantal commitment, all sexual activity is prostitution, and rather than offering lasting satisfaction, illicit intimacy yields contempt and disgust. Ezekiel’s own application of the lesson of Yahweh’s case against Jerusalem to his immediate audience points the way to its significance for God’s people today. The fate of Jerusalem serves as a warning for the corporate community of faith as well as for individual members of that community. Marital infidelity is self-destructive, and brings upon one the wrath of God."
(NICOT, Ezekiel, 764-5)