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?
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]
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
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)
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).
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?
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).