Ezekiel - Chapters 1 through 20:32

Part 1 - Historical Context

Assyria controlled much of the Middle East, including Samaria, which was the northern kingdom of Israel, and Babylon. However, in 612 B.C. Babylon revolted and overthrew Assyria's capital of Ninevah, killing Assyria's King Sinsharushkin. Assyrian ally Pharaoh Neco of Egypt joined them in an effort to ward off Babylonian forces. When on their way to the Assyrian capital city of Harran for battle, they were intercepted by Josiah king of Judah in Megiddo. Neco warned Josiah not to interfere because "God had told me to hurry; so stop opposing God who is with me, or He will destroy you" (2 Chronicles 35:21), but he refused and was killed in battle (2 Chronicles 35:20-24) in 609 B.C., the same year the city of Harran fell to Babylonian forces. Even with the help of the Egyptian army, Assyria could not defeat Babylon.

Jehoahaz took the throne in Judah upon his father Josiah's death. As Pharaoh Neco and his remaining troops passed by Judah on their way back to Egypt, he dethroned Jehoahaz and took him captive to Egypt, where he died. Neco appointed Josiah's son, Eliakim as king of Judah, changing his name to Jehoiakim and imposing a tribute on Judah to be paid to him (2 Kings 23:31-35) (609 B.C.). 

In 605 B.C. Pharaoh Neco was defeated by Babylonian armies in Carchemish, and Egypt was forced to pay tribute to Babylon. That same year, Nebuchadnezzar rose to the throne in Babylon and he besieged Judah, and Jehoiakim shifted Judah's allegiance to him. Nebuchadnezzar deported many Israelites to Babylon during this first wave, including Daniel (Daniel 1:1-7).

In 601 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar went up to battle against Egypt, enduring heavy losses, but eventually overtaking them. However, this caused many states who held Babylonian allegiance to defect, including Judah who rebelled against them. Nebuchadnezzar responded by sending troops against Jerusalem in 597 B.C. when it was subdued. About 10,000 Israelites were deported to Babylon at this time, to join those who had been exiled in 605 B.C. Ezekiel was among them (Ezekiel 1:1-2).

Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as king over Judah, but he also rebelled against him, causing Babylon to lay siege to Jerusalem in 588 B.C. In July, 586 B.C., the walls of Jerusalem were breached and in August, 586 B.C. the city and the temple were burned and destroyed.

Babylon controlled the Middle East until they were conquered by Persia in 539 B.C. under Cyrus. David's dynasty had come to end, the kingdom of Judah ceased to exist, and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. However, under Persian control, Cyrus allowed the Israelites who wanted to return to Judah to do so, because God had stirred his spirit to rebuild the temple. God's use of a pagan empire to fulfill His plans was nothing short of a miracle. 

God's Removal of His Presence from the Northern Kingdom of Israel

Israel had once included both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, but during Ezekiel's time, it only included the southern kingdom of Judah. It's there that the remaining Israelites, Jerusalem and the temple of God were located. The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to Assyria in 722-721 B.C. under King Hoshea's reign "because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (2 Kings 17:7). "So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah were left, and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; He afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until He thrust them from His presence." He "tore Israel away from the house of David" (2 Kings 17:18-21).

Describing this same event, God said to the prophet Jeremiah that He had given the northern kingdom of Israel a certificate of divorce because she had backslidden by committing adultery and would not return to Him. Her "'treacherous sister Judah saw it, yet did not fear but played the harlot also'...Then the Lord said to me, 'Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah'" (Jeremiah 3:8-11). 

God symbolically equated His relationship with Israel with a marriage covenant, and because of her unfaithfulness to Him, He removed His presence from the northern kingdom and it ceased to exist as God's kingdom.

The king of Assyria resettled the region (Samaria), with people from various nations to replace the Israelites, however they persisted in the worship of idols. Because of their idolatry, God sent lions among them and killed them. When the king was notified, he sent an Israelite priest back to the land to teach the people "what the god of the land requires." They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods, never fully turning to God, at least up to the time that 2 Kings 17:41 was written (2 Kings 17:24-41).

During the northern kingdom's captivity, the Israelites were carried to Assyria and many fled to Judah to escape the Assyrians where they established a new life. And so the Israelites of the northern kingdom were scattered beyond the borders of the land that God had leased to them. Even though God considered Judah's sins even more of an abomination than Israel's, His presence did not depart from them, nor did His judgement come against them until 124 years later when Babylon subdued them in 597 B.C.

God's Removal of His Presence from the Southern Kingdom of Judah According to 2 Kings

Jehoiakim was king when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded Judah. Jehoiakim was Babylon's vassal for three years and then rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. God sent Babylon and other nations to destroy Judah, "in accordance with His word proclaimed by His prophets. These things happened to Judah according to God's command, in order to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive" (2 Kings 24:1-4).

Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin succeeded him as king of Judah for three months. During his reign, Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar himself, laid seige to Jerusalem and took 10,000 Israelites into captivity, carrying them out of Jerusalem and into Babylon. He only left the poorest people of the land there. He also took all the treasures from the temple and stripped it of its gold that King Solomon had made for it. Jehoichin was taken captive into Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin's uncle Mattaniah (Zedekiah) king of Judah (2 Kings 24:8-17).

Zedekiah was Judah's last king. He reigned from 597 to 586 B.C. and "he did evil in the eyes of the Lord as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end He thrust them from His presence" (2 Kings 24:18-20).

2 Kings 25 describes Babylon's attack against Judah and the fall of Jerusalem. On January 15, 588 B.C., Babylon beseiged Jerusalem until 586 B.C., at which time the famine in Jerusalem had become so severe, that there was no food for the people to eat. The prophet Jeremiah who ministered to Judah from 626 to 586 B.C., relayed God's message to Israel concerning this. He said,  ‬‬“Thus says the Lord: ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it’ ”‭‭ (Jeremiah‬ ‭38:2‭-‬3‬). 

Because Israel did not receive God's word, they imprisoned Jeremiah, but one of the eunuchs of the king's house intervened for him and confirmed that this famine in Jerusalem was taking place by saying, ‭‭“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.” Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies" (Jeremiah 38:9-10).

2 Kings 25 gives account of God's word through Jeremiah which was further fulfilled in 586 B.C. when Babylon broke through the city wall and attacked Jerusalem. King Zedekiah and the Israelite army tried fleeing, but they were overtaken by the Babylonian army who captured Zedekiah and his sons. They killed his sons but they took out his eyes, bound him in shackles, and took him to Babylon. His soldiers who accompanied him were separated from him and scattered on the plains of Jericho.

On August 14, 586 B.C., Nebuzaradan commander of Babylon's imperial guard came to Jerusalem and set fire to the temple, to the king's palace, and to all the houses of Jerusalem. He burned down every important building and his army broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan carried the remaining Israelites into exile in Babylon except for the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. 

After pillaging the temple, Nebuzaradan took the priests, and door keepers of the temple as prisoners, as well as several other men of prominence who were still in the city. He brought them before King Nebuchadnezzar who had them executed. 

"So Judah went into captivity, away from her land" (2 Kings 25:21).

King Nebuchadnezzar appointed the Israelite Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, governor of the people. Gedaliah's father Ahikam, was among the men appointed by King Josiah to inquire of the Lord after the Book of the Law was found (2 Kings 22:12-13). He also protected Jeremiah when his life was threatened during the reign of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 26:24).

"Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, 'Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭25:24‬), however Gedaliah was assassinated by Nethaniah. After this happened, "all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans" (2 Kings‬ ‭25:26‬).‭

Jehoichin who was removed from his position as king of Judah by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and taken captive to Babylon, was released from prison by Babylonian King, Evil-Merodach in 561 B.C. Jehoichin was given favor by the Babylonian king, however he was never given back his thrown in Judah, and Judah ceased to exist as its own kingdom (2 Kings 25:27-30). 

God had judged Judah for her sins and had removed His presence with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Israel was scattered "away from her land."

God's Removal of His Presence from the Southern Kingdom of Judah According to 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 36 also provides a brief summary of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon, emphasizing Israel's increasing transgressions and conformance to the surrounding nations: 

Starting with King Jehoiakim, "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.‭‭ ‭Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

"Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem. 

"Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem" (2 Chronicles‬ ‭36:5‭-‬14‬).

‬‬"And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.

"And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 

"And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years" (2 Chronicles‬ ‭36:15‭-‬21‬).

The destruction of Jerusalem was one of the most catastrophic events in Israel's history. People starved to death during the siege, they were killed during the invasion, and the entire city was left in ruins. Finally, all but the poor were taken captive out of Judah and into Babylon.

Beyond the physical devastation that Israel faced, there was an even more significant spiritual aspect of devastation that took place when the city where God resided and the temple where Israel worshiped were destroyed, as well as the fact that God had removed His presence from them, all because of His anger towards them due to their unwillingness to turn to Him.  

Part 2 - The Remnant of Israel

By God's stern chastisement for disobedience and unfaithfulness, the children of Israel's holy city of Jerusalem lay in ruins and Judah was under the control of the Babylonian empire. The temple where they sacrificed to God for their sins was destroyed. The Israelites of the northern and southern kingdoms had been dispersed throughout the nations by the Assyrian and Babylonian sieges. Worst of all, God's presence had departed from Israel. All seemed hopeless. 

However God spoke through His prophets of a remnant returning to Jerusalem where they would once again reside as His holy people if they sought Him with their whole heart:

"‬‬For thus says the Lord: 'After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.'" (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:10‭-‬14‬)

‬‬"For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36:24‭-‬28‬).

The prophecies of Israel's literal return to their land were fulfilled in 538 B.C. when Cyrus king of Persia conquered Babylon:

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: 'All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!'" (2 Chronicles‬ ‭36:22‭-‬23‬).

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: 'All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 

"Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. 

"Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah" (Ezra‬ ‭1:1‭-‬8‬).

Those of the remnant of Israel, "whose spirits God had moved" and whose God is the LORD, returned to Judah to rebuild the temple as God had stirred the spirit of Cyrus to do. The book of Ezra lists the names of the returned exiles from Babylon (Ezra 2), and describes the rebuilding of the altar and the temple (3:1-13). Ezra was a priest and a teacher of the Law of the LORD who traveled to Jerusalem to teach its decrees and laws in Israel (Ezra 7:1-12). 

Nehemiah, who was the cup-bearer of King Artaxerxes of Persia, also had a burden for his people Israel who had returned from captivity. In 445 B.C. he asked his brother who had just returned from Judah about the "Jewish remnant who had survived the exile." His brother reported that "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When he heard these things, "I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:1-4).

God granted him favor by allowing his request to please King Artaxerxes, so he sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city. At Nehemiah's request, the king wrote letters to the governors to protect him while he traveled and to the keeper of the king's forest to provide him with timber to rebuild the gates, the city wall, and his residence (Nehemiah 2:1-9).

Esther became the queen to King Xerxes of Persia in 479 B.C. which was during the regathering of the remnant of Israel to the land, however she resided in Susa, where the king reigned. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai who was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin who had been exiled from Jerusalem with King Jehoiachin of Judah during the Babylonian conquest. This is why she was in Susa (Esther 2:5-17).

The remnant of Israel did indeed return to rebuild the temple, the city, and to reside there, as predicted by Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and other prophets. 

Part 3 - God's Prophets 

The kingdom of Israel's history is littered with idolatry which God likened to adultery and harlotry. God continuously warned them through prophets to repent of their unfaithfulness or else He was going to judge them by bringing destruction upon them.

This was nothing new. From the beginning God had called them a "stiff necked people" because of their disobedience. Immediately after agreeing to the terms of the covenant which God made with Israel, they built a golden calf to worship and credit for leading them out of Egypt. This was not an insignificant thing in the sight of God. He had constantly warned them through His prophet Moses to repent but they refused to do so. Making the golden calf was the last straw, and God had Moses kill 3,000 men that day. Those who were not killed were plagued and furthermore, He promised to punish them on His day of visitation (Exodus 32).

Samuel was a prophet whom the Lord called when he was a young boy in Shiloh. "All Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord" and "Samuel's word came to all Israel" (1 Samuel 3:20; 4:1). 

It was during the time of Samuel's ministry that a very significant thing happened in Israel's history. Israel had always been the kingdom of people whom God had set apart for Himself. He differentiated them from the other nations by He Himself being their king. They were His people and He was their God. But during Samuel's ministry, they rejected God by no longer wanting Him to be their king, and by no longer wanting to be a kingdom set apart for God - a holy nation; they wanted a king like the other nations had so they could be like them: 

This displeased Samuel, so he inquired of the Lord who said to him, "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them, but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do...

"When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day. 

"But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. Then we will be like the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.'

"When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king'" (1 Samuel 8). 

God warned them of the oppression they would have to endure under a human king, but Israel refused to listen, so God gave them what they wanted. 

Throughout the history of the northern and southern kingdoms, some kings did what was right, but many "did evil in the eyes of the Lord." With hopes that they would turn from their idolatrous ways and turn to Him, God sent prophets to warn them to turn to Him.

Israel's second king, David, was the most righteous king in Israel's history. He was also a man after God's own heart, and a prophet. He prophesied that the Messiah was going to reign through his dynasty by a revelation from the Lord. He wrote many of the Psalms which contain some of his prophecies as well. 

Elijah was a prophet to Ahab, king of Israel, who is described as doing "more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those [kings] before him" (1 Kings 16:30). He "did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him" (1 Kings 16:33). Because Ahab was evil and provoked Israel to sin, Elijah predicted that disaster was going to come upon him and his evil wife Jezebel, and his descendants were going to be destroyed. When Ahab heard these things, he repented and humbled himself, therefore God said that He would not bring disaster in his day, but He would bring it on his house in the days of his son (1 Kings 21:21-29). 

After Ahab died, the prophet Elisha, who was a disciple and successor of the prophet Elijah, sent a man from the company of prophets to anoint Jehu son of Jehoshaphat as king of Israel. After anointing him with oil, the man was instructed by Elisha to say to Jehu, "This is what the Lord the God of Israel says: 'I anoint you king over the Lord's people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab shall perish. I will cut-off every last male in Israel - slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nabat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her'" (2 Kings 9:1-8).

As God's instrument of destruction, Jehu cleansed the land of Israel's idolatry. He fulfilled Elisha's prediction according to the word of the Lord by killing Jezebel and destroying all who were left of Ahab's family (2 Kings 9:30-10:17). All was done in accordance with Elisha's prophecy. Even the dogs devoured her so that she could not be buried. Jehu also killed all the prophets of Baal. 

Some later prophets who have books named after them in the Bible, and their respective people of ministry include: Isaiah (Israel/Judah), Jeremiah (Judah), Ezekiel (Judah), Hosea (Israel), Amos (Israel), Joel (Judah), Micah (Israel/Judah), Habakkuk (Judah), Zephaniah (Judah), Haggai (the remnant during the restoration of Israel), Zechariah (the remnant during the restoration of Israel), and Malachi (the remnant during the restoration of Israel), Jonah (Ninevah), Nahum (Judah/Ninevah).

In most cases, the purpose of God's prophets was to warn God's people to turn away from their idolatry and to turn to Him. Some exceptions to this rule were Jonah who was sent to call the pagan nation of Ninevah to repentance and Daniel who seemed to minister more to the kings of Babylon than to the people of Israel. Some of Daniel's visions contained images of Israel's future however. Despite these exceptions, all of the prophets were sent to warn the people to either turn to God or face God's wrath of judgement.

The prophets were sent to preach repentance to the people of their time so that God would turn His wrath away from them as 2 Kings 24:2, and 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 say. However, if they did not repent, He would not turn His wrath away from them as many events throughout Israel's history, including the conquering of Israel by Assyrian and Babylonian empires, prove.

"And the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets" (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭24:2‬).

"And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no reremedy" (‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭36:15‭-‬16‬).

Future events that the prophets foresaw, were future from their own perspective as well as their audience's, and were relevant to them for repentance to avoid God's wrath. They are probably not future from our perspective or intended for us today, although today's ekklessia can learn a lot about God's character and much from Israel's history to avoid making the same mistakes. God may even do similar things today for the purpose of calling His people to repentance, however the future prophecies that the prophets foretold were intended for the Israel of their time and have been fulfilled. Two of the last prophets we are introduced to in the Bible, John the Baptist and Jesus, did not speak of any unfulfilled prophecies that many Christians today believe are yet to be fulfilled, with the exception of Christ's return. The apostles never mentioned or taught such things either.

Part of Ezekiel's ministry was to warn the false prophets in Judah who were saying, "Peace", when there was no peace. His judgement was coming upon them and there was no changing His mind. The true prophets such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah were preaching the word of the Lord, but the false prophets were preaching their own word, and God said they would pay dearly for their lies. Ezekiel was one of the prophets God sent to warn Judah to turn to Him.

Part 4 - Ezekiel 

Chapters 1-7

Ezekiel was the son of a Levitical priest who lived among the exiles in Babylon. He was deported from the land of Israel to Babylon in 597 B.C. During this time, Israel was under the control of Babylon, who subdued the kingdom in 597 B.C. and deported approximately 10,000 Israelites to join those who had been exiled in 605 B.C. The prophet Daniel was among those carried off in 605 because he was an "Israelite from the royal family and the nobility" (Daniel 1:1-7). Ezekiel was among those of the second wave in 597 (Ezekiel 1:1-2).

According to the law, a Levitical priest entered into service at the age of thirty (Numbers 4:3). However, being in captivity in Babylon prevented Ezekiel from serving as a priest (Ezekiel 1:3). But God had other plans for Ezekiel. In 593 B.C. when he was thirty years of age, Ezekiel was called to be a prophet. It is believed that he served God for 22 years as a prophet, with his last oracle being received in 571 B.C. (Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:1-3; 29:17). Ezekiel's service as a prophet extended two years beyond the twenty years that a priest was required to serve (Numbers 4:3). Ezekiel's ministry coincides with the fall of Jerusalem that occurred in 586 B.C., preceding ìts destruction by seven years and following it by fifteen years.

God commissioned Ezekiel as a prophet by coming to him in a vision and saying:

"I am sending you to the children of Israel, they are a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children.

"I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.

“And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you" ‭‭(Ezekiel‬ ‭2:3‭-‬8).

Ezekiel's service to God as a prophet was not easy, and in fact it was very costly. The first seven years of his ministry were spent relaying to the Israelites, God's wrath of judgement that was going to be imparted upon Israel in 586 B.C. His "job" was to be the mouthpiece of God and to demonstrate God's judgement of  Israel, oftentimes by symbolically acting it out in extremely uncomfortable and unimaginable ways (Ezekiel 4, 5).

God muted Ezekiel's voice, giving him the ability to speak only when God spoke to him (3:26-27). He was required to tell the Israelites everything that God spoke to him and to warn them of God's coming judgement, even though God said that they would not listen to him (Ezekiel 3:7). His very own people whom he loved and cared for were going to ignore the warnings that God spoke through him, and despise and reject him for the things he said regarding them. But if he did not warn them, God was going to hold him personally responsible for their blood (Ezekiel 3:18). 

As a sign to the children of Israel to demonstrate the coming siege of Jerusalem, Ezekiel built a model of Jerusalem out of bricks, surrounded by battering rams and a siege wall all around it. He set an iron plate as an iron wall between himself and the city, and he set his face against it (4:1-3). This was to demonstrate that there was a wall of iron between God and the children of Israel, and that He had set His face against them. Their adultery with false gods had created an impenetrable wall of iron between them, and He had set His face against them, therefore He was going to bring this calamity upon them as His judgement against them. 

God directed Ezekiel to lay on his left side for 390 days to bear the house of Israel's iniquity, and on his right side for forty days to bear the house of Judah's iniquity. Each day symbolized a year of their iniquity. 

To symbolize Jerusalem's siege, he was bound while lying on his side so that he could not turn from side to side. He set his face against the siege of Jerusalem with his arm uncovered and prophesied against it for a total of 430 days representing 430 years of Israel's iniquities (Israel - 390 years, Judah - 40 years) (Ezekiel 4:4-8). Commentators believe that God's "uncovered arm" symbolizes the execution of His vengeance so that "all nations will see His salvation" (Isaiah 52:10; Luke 3:6).

While portraying this judgement of Israel in the sight of the people, God allowed Ezekiel a small amount of water to drink and a very small amount of bread cooked over fire fueled by cow dung (4:4-13). God originally ordered him to cook his food over human waste, but Ezekiel protested so God changed the fuel from human waste to cow dung. This was to symbolize "the children of Israel eating their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them" (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭4:13) as well as the famine that was going to occur during Babylon's siege of Jerusalem. The ingredients that God instructed him to use to make the bread symbolized the limited types of foods that would be available during the siege. 

During this time, God instructed Ezekiel to shave his head and his beard, and to divide the hair up by weight. When the number of days expired, he was to burn 1/3 of the hair, strike 1/3 with the sword all around the city, and scatter 1/3 to the wind to illustrate God's coming wrath upon Judah (Ezekiel 5:1-2). 

Under the Law of Moses, Levitical priests were not permitted to shave their heads or their beards because it was a sign of consecration to God and was considered an act of defilement (Leviticus 21:5). It also symbolized mourning, disgrace, and separation from God. It would have been extremely humiliating for Ezekiel. 

According to commentators, the shaving of Ezekiel's head and beard symbolized "the shaving" of Israel. It was symbolic of Israel's separation from God, their mourning, and the humiliation they would endure in the eyes of the nations when God imparted His wrath upon them (Ezekiel 5:5-11; 14-17).

The division of the hair symbolized how God was going to portion His wrath. 1/3 were going to die by plague or famine inside of Jerusalem; 1/3 were going to die by the sword outside of Jerusalem; and 1/3 were going to be scattered to the nations while being pursued by drawn swords (Ezekiel 5:12). When this happens, they were going to know that the Lord had warned them of it in His zeal (Ezekiel 5:13).

Ezekiel's prophecy coincides with the events that occurred in 586 B.C. and are described in 2 Kings 25 and Jeremiah's prophecy of sword, famine, and pestilence befalling Jerusalem (Jeremiah‬ ‭38:2‭-‬3‬). Through Ezekiel, God warned Israel that His goal was to destroy them by sword, famine, and pestilence, just as He also said through Jeremiah: 

"When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken’ ” (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭5:16‭-‬17‬ ).

The famine was going to be severe, to the point of cannibalism (Ezekiel 5:10).

God directed Ezekiel to set his face against the mountains and to prophecy the destruction of the altars of idolatry and the dead bodies of the idolatrous Israelites would be piled up among them (Ezekiel 6:1-8). 

However, He would spare some who would not be killed by the sword, but who would be scattered among the lands and nations by being taken captive into other lands and nations. While there, they would remember the Lord, for they had turned away from Him, and they would loathe themselves and know that He is the Lord and that He did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity upon them. Because of the detestable practices of the house of Judah, "they will fall by the sword, famine, and plague. He that is far away will die of the plague, he that is near will fall by the sword, and he that survives and is spared will die of famine. So I will spend my wrath upon them" (Ezekiel 6:8-12). 

This theme continues in Ezekiel 7 when he declares that the things God had said will not be reversed (vs. 10-14): 

"The sword is outside, and the pestilence and famine within. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword; and whoever is in the city, famine and pestilence will devour him" (vs. 15).

The destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.was the most devastating event of Israel's history up to that time. 2/3 of Judah's inhabitants were going to die and the last third were going to be driven from Jerusalem and scattered among other nations. That meant that other than the poor whom Babylon were going to leave behind, Israel would no longer inhabit the land that God had leased to them (Ezekiel 5:3; 2 Kings 25:12,22; Jeremiah 39:10, 40:6; Isaiah 1:9). This tragic event would foreshadow the horrific events of A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was once again besieged and destroyed and the Jews were scattered among the nations, only this time by Rome.

The 1/3 who would be "scattered by the wind" were those who were carried into exile when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon sieged Jerusalem during Zedekiah king of Judah's reign (Ezekiel 5:2, 10; 2 Kings 25:21; Jeremiah 13:19-25, 39:9). Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and other prophets foretold of a remnant from those who were scattered, who would return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, which happened when Cyrus king of Persia conquered Babylon in 538 B.C. Unlike the return of a remnant to Jerusalem in 538 B.C., there were no prophets who foretold of a remnant returning to the land after Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were scattered in A.D. 70. There is also nothing recorded in the New Testament of Jesus or the apostles foretelling of this scattered Israel returning to Jerusalem or the land.

Chapters 8-11

On September 17, 592 B.C., just over a year past his prophetic calling, Ezekiel saw a vision of the temple in Jerusalem, and the Glory of God was there. There, Ezekiel was shown the wicked abominations that Israel was committing within the temple. God said to Ezekiel that because Israel had provoked Him to anger by their violence and abominations, He would not spare them or have pity on them, and even if they shouted to Him, He would not hear them (Ezekiel 8:17-18).

In his vision, God called "those who have charge of the city" to draw near to Him, each with a weapon to kill and destroy without pity. He sent one to mark the foreheads of the one's who weep and mourn for the abominations done in the temple. He instructed them not to kill anyone who had the mark (Ezekiel 9:1-7).

As this was happening, the writer of Ezekiel describes God's movement and eventual departure from the temple and then Jerusalem:

"Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple..." ‭‭(Ezekiel‬ ‭9:3‬)

"Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them" (Ezekiel 10:18-19).

"So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city" (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭11:22‭-‬23‬).

God's departure from the temple and from Jerusalem is significant. He had resided there since King Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem and dedicated it to the Lord in 966 B.C. Israel was His kingdom of people. The temple was the means in which they offered sacrifices to God for forgiveness and where the priests spoke with God on behalf of Israel. Without it, they could no longer do these things. But because of their abominations, His presence among them was leaving. He would not be there to protect them from Babylon's attack, in fact, He was the one bringing Babylon's attack against them. 

Ezekiel's vision coincides with the historical context of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C. when Nebuzaradan commander of Babylon's imperial guard came to Jerusalem and set fire to the city and burned down the temple as described in 2 Kings, Chronicles, Jeremiah, and other prophets. While they describe the event from the natural point of view of the city being overtaken by means of war, Ezekiel's vision describes the event from a spiritual aspect. He was envisioning the spiritual realm and he actually saw God's departure from the temple and then the city. God had put up with Israel's abominations for nearly 400 years, demonstrating His immense patience with His people. It also foreshadows God's final departure of the rebuilt temple prior to its destruction in A.D. 70.

Ezekiel's vision of the glory of the Lord leaving Jerusalem and standing on the mountain on the east side of the city is very interesting because the prophet Zechariah described a similar event that was going to take place in Israel's future. He prophesied that God was going to stand on the Mount of Olives during the day of the Lord:

"And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south" (Zechariah‬ ‭14:4‬).

In the passage, Zechariah is describing the tragic events that will once again take place in Jerusalem because of Israel's disobedience. He describes the nations coming against Jerusalem and conquering it, taking half of the people into captivity. However, there will be a remnant of His people who will not be "cut off" from the city, and the Lord will go and fight against the nations who are coming against it. He will fight for the remnant. In that day, He will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east (Zechariah 14:1-4). This is very similar to Ezekiel's description of God's presence leaving the temple and Jerusalem, and may indicate a similar event.

In context, Zechariah was a prophet who ministered to the remnant who had returned to Israel after the Babylonian captivity in 538/537 B.C. His ministry began seventeen or eighteen years later in 520 B.C., and some scholars believe that it may have lasted all the way into Persian King Artaxerxes's reign (465 B.C.-424 B.C.).

He was called by God to preach repentance to the Israel of his time, just as Ezekiel was. Zechariah described an event that was future from their perspective and relevant to the people of his time. If Israel repented, God would relent and turn His wrath away from them. But if they did not, God was going to follow through with His word.

Israel did not repent, and once again God brought destruction upon Jerusalem and destroyed the temple as Jesus prophesied (Matthew 24:1-34) but not before His presence left them (Matthew 23:37-38). This historical event occurred in 70 A.D. after the remnant of Israel had returned to Israel from Babylonian captivity. A.D. 70 was certainly in the future of Zechariah and the the Israel whom he ministered to. 

God's feet standing on the Mount of Olives as prophesied by Zechariah may describe God's departure from Jerusalem in 70 A.D., just as Ezekiel described it in a similar event of 586 B.C. It fits both the context of the passage which is about Jerusalem's destruction, and the description of events are very similar to those that Ezekiel saw in his vision, which lends credibility to the idea.

After Ezekiel saw the vision, he informed those who were in captivity with him in Chaldea what the Lord had shown him (Ezekiel 11:24-25), indicating that God's warnings were intended for them.

Chapter 12

God said to Ezekiel, 

“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house." (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭12:2‬). 

The rebellious house in which he dwells is the house of Judah, also known as Israel during that time. God said that even though Israel has eyes and ears, they do not see or hear because of their rebellion. God said the same thing to the Israel that existed at the time of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 6:9, 42:20; Jeremiah 5:21), and Jesus often said to the Israel of his time,  "those who have ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16). He said the reason for saying this was because the mysteries of the kingdom of God can only be understood by those who have ears to hear (Luke 8:10). The majority of the Israelites who were within his audience did not have ears to hear, but those of the remnant of Israel, such as his disciples did.

Isaiah said that God had caused them to be unable to see and hear because of their disobedience (Isaiah 29:10). The apostle Paul quoted Isaiah to the Israel of his time, adding that Israel has not obtained what it seeks and are blinded because "God has given them a spirit of stupor" (Romans 11:7-8). God disabled Israel's ability to see or to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God because of their rebellion against Him. 

Because Israel was a rebellious house who did not have eyes to see or ears to hear, God instructed Ezekiel to "prepare his belongings and go into captivity by day in their sight" because it is possible that Israel might understand and turn back to Him when they see it, even though they were a rebellious house (Ezekiel 12:3). God's desire was not to destroy Judah, but to redeem it. 

Therefore, as instructed by God, Ezekiel acted out being taken into Babylonian captivity, a scene that many of those who saw it would have recognized because they had lived it themselves. 

Ezekiel dug through the city wall and carried his belongings through it. He covered his face as he went, so that he could not see the ground, and he carried his belongings on his shoulders as if being taken captive. 

When they asked Ezekiel what he was doing, he was to say, "Thus says the Lord God: 'This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.' I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity" (Ezekiel 12:10-11).

The "prince" and the house of Israel are King Zedekiah and his subjects who broke through the city wall to escape the Chaldeans when they encamped around Jerusalem in 588 B.C. King Zedekiah was captured and taken to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in Riblah. He had Zedekiah's sons killed in his sight, and then they removed his eyes so that he could not see. Then they took him to Babylon (2 Kings 25:4-7) where he later died. Ezekiel's covering of his face so that he could not see and carrying his belongings on his shoulders portrayed the blind King Zedekiah being led into captivity and he predicted Zedekiah's fate in 12:13:

"I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there."

In Ezekiel 12:14-15, God said that Zedekiah's helpers and troops were going to be scattered throughout the nations while being pursued with the sword. The  event recorded in 2 Kings 25:5 says, "All his army was scattered from him." God's purpose of scattering them throughout the countries and dispersing them throughout the nations was so that they would know that He is the Lord:

"I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries" (Ezekiel‬ ‭12:14‭-‬15‬).

However, not all would be killed. God would spare a few from death so that they would declare all of Israel's abominations among the gentiles wherever the went. This was also so they would know that the Lord is God (Ezekiel 12:16). 2 Kings records the event:

"Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers" (Kings‬ ‭25:11‭-‬12‬). 

As a sign to Israel, God commanded Ezekiel to portray how great this tribulation was going to be in Israel, by eating his bread with quaking and drinking his water with trembling and anxiety. While he performed this sign, he was to say to the people,  "Thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: 'They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord'" (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭12:19‭-‬20‬). Jerusalem was going to be utterly destroyed.

Apparently, during that time, Israel believed that the calamities that the prophets such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah were speaking of were going to occur in the future, and that they were not messages directed at them. A proverb they would say was, "The days are prolonged and every vision fails" (Ezekiel 12:22), and they would say, "the vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off" (Ezekiel 12:26).

In response to Israel, God instructed Ezekiel to tell them, "the days are at hand,  and the fulfillment of every vision" (Ezekiel 12:24). He said there would no longer be false vision or flattering divination, and that what He speaks will happen in their day, and will not be postponed (Ezekiel 12:24-25, 28). 

Jeremiah said something similar:

‭‭"They have lied about the Lord, and said, “It is not He. Neither will evil come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine." (Jeremiah‬ ‭5:12‬)

Jeremiah then condemned the false prophets and described how Babylon was going to destroy Israel.

The prophets foretold of events that were going to occur during their time, not at some point in the future.

Chapter 13

God sent Ezekiel to prophecy against the false prophets who were telling the Israelites that they were speaking for God when they were not. They were prophesying peace when God was bringing destruction (Ezekiel 13).

The fate of these false prophets was not going to be good. God instructed Ezekiel to say to the false prophets that His hand was against them. And if that was not punishment enough, they would be cut-off from the assembly of His people (the ekklessia), their names would not be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor would they be able to enter into the land of Israel. When these things happened, then they would know that He is the Lord God (Ezekiel 13:8-9).

God likened Israel to a wall that was constructed with untempered mortar because of the false prophets who were seducing them by preaching "peace" when there was no peace (Ezekiel 13:9). Ezekiel was to tell them that their wall built with untempered mortar is going to fall when His fury, anger, and wrath comes upon them (Ezekiel 13:10-15). 

Then He will say to them, "'The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,' says the Lord God" (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭13:15‭-‬16‬).

In Ezekiel 13:17-33, God instructed Ezekiel to set his face against the daughters of his people "who prophecy out of their own heart" and to prophecy against them. He was instructed to say to them, "Thus says the Lord God: 'Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?

"Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

“Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord'” (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭13:18‭-‬23‬).

According to some commentators, with the exception of a few prophetesses mentioned in the Bible, "a general category of prophetesses was unknown among the people of God and the existence of such a class in the last days of the kings of Judah was a fresh instance of declension into pagan usages" (Barnes). It is believed that these Israelite women were mediums, fortune tellers, witches, or sorceresses, and that their occupation was of Babylonian origin. Whatever the case, God was against these prophetesses because of the lies they were telling His people which were leading them astray as if "hunting their souls", and He was going to deliver them from their hand.

Chapter 14 

Ezekiel 14:1-11 is God's response to a group of Israelite elders who came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Because they had "set up idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity", God said to Ezekiel, "Should I let them inquire of me?" 

He went on to say that if they go to a prophet to inquire of Him, but do not first repent from separating themselves from Him by committing idolatry and placing stumbling blocks which cause them to fall into iniquity before themselves, He will answer them Himself by setting His face against them, and cutting them off from among His people (Ezekiel 14:4-8).

Then, if a prophet is given a message to speak to the person, it will be a lying spirit from God, and He will destroy the prophet from among His people, and bear their iniquity (1 Kings 22:22-23). The prophet's punishment will be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired (Ezekiel 14:9-10). God did not take their sin lightly and unless they repented, He would not hear them, but would punish them and remove them from among His people. God's hope was that Israel would then no longer stray from Him or defile themselves with their sins, but that they would be His people and He would be their God, which is a theme of God's message throughout the Bible (Ezekiel 14:11).

The word of the Lord came again to Ezekiel, saying: “'Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,' says the Lord God" (Ezekiel 14:12-14).

God's word is clear. If a land sins against God, His wrath of judgement is going to come upon it and will not be saved for the sake of a few righteous people. Only those who are righteous in God's sight will be delivered. Israel sinned against God by her persistent unfaithfulness time and time again, and even if Daniel was still there with them, she was going to face God's wrath by wild beasts, sword, pestilence, and famine (Ezekiel 14:12-21).

Daniel had recently been taken to Babylon, yet God included him among Noah and Job for his righteousness throughout this passage, indicating how prominent he was in the sight of God and of Israel at that time. It's very likely that Ezekiel and those in captivity with him heard the reports about Daniel and of his high stature among the Babylonians. His name was probably well known among them.

God said that the four judgements on Jerusalem would be severe, but there would be a remnant left in her who would be brought out. When they are brought out to those already in captivity, they would see their ways and their doings, and they would be comforted concerning the disaster that God had brought upon Jerusalem, and all that He had brought upon her. They would know that God had cause for doing all that He did (Ezekiel 14:22-23). Jeremiah put it his way: 

"And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them’" (Jeremiah 22:8-9).

The remnant spoken of here was brought out of Jerusalem and taken to Babylon with the rest of the captives by Nebuzaradan when he burned down the temple and the city (2 Kings 25:11).

Chapter 15

In Ezekiel 15, God likened Israel to a vine who thinks it is better than the other wood of the forest, yet it is not good for anything except fuel for fire. According to His word to Ezekiel, like the vine which He has given as fuel for the fire, God would give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem and set His face against them. They would go out from one fire, but another fire would devour them. When He set His face against them, they would know that He is the Lord. Because they have persisted in unfaithfulness, He would make their land desolate (Ezekiel 15). 

The fire Israel would come out of was the siege of Jerusalem in 597 B.C., and the fire that would devour them was the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Because of Israel's unfaithfulness to God, He made their land desolate by means of famine, wild beasts, pestilence, and the sword.

Jesus may have borrowed this imagery of the vine from Ezekiel, when he said to his disciples that anyone who does not remain in him, is like a branch of a vine that is withered. It does not bear fruit so it will be cast out, thrown into the fire and burned. 

Isaiah had a similar prophecy regarding Judah, where in a parable, he said they were a vineyard who brought forth wild grapes, therefore He was going to take away its hedge and it would be burned. The wall would be broken down and trampled down. He would lay it waste (Isaiah 5:5-7).

Jesus borrowed Isaiah's imagery of Israel being a vineyard when he told the parable of the wicked vinedressers (Matthew 21:33-46) and said that just as God was going to take the hedge in Isaiah's prophecy, He was going to take His kingdom from Israel and give it to another nation who would bear its fruits of righteousness and justice (Matthew 21:43; Isaiah 5:7). This other other nation whom the kingdom was given to consists of all people who are in a faithful covenant with God under the terms of the new covenant that Jesus made through his blood. 

Chapter 16

The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel who instructed him to cause Jerusalem to know her abominations. Ezekiel had to uncandidly tell Israel how God perceived them due to their idolatry - as harlots and adulterers. God had made a marriage covenant with them, but they had broken it by their continual unfaithfulness to Him. 

God said that Jerusalem was birthed from Canaan; her father was an Amorite and her mother was a Hittite. On the day she was born, her navel chord was not cut, she was dirty, and she was loathed (Ezekiel 16:1-5). Though their father Abraham was not an Amorite, nor their mother Sarah a Hittite, their idolatrous conduct was like that of the Canaanites, suggesting that they were born of Canaan. Also, because some of the Israelites intermarried with the Canaanites after entering the promised land, at least some of the Israelites during Ezekiel's time may have descended from a Canaanite. Whatever the case, the point is that Israel behaved more like a child of Canaan than a child of God. 

When God passed by and saw her "struggling in her own blood", He said to her. "Live!" He made her thrive like a plant in the field. She grew, matured, and she became very beautiful. Her breasts were formed, her hair grew, but she was naked and bare (Ezekiel 16:6-7).

When God passed by her again, He saw that her time was the time of love, so He spread His wing over her and covered her nakedness. He swore an oath to her and entered into a covenant with her, and she became His (Ezekiel 16:8-9).

He thoroughly cleansed her with water, washing the blood off of her, and He anointed her with oil. He clothed and adorned her in elegance. She ate fine foods and was exceedingly beautiful. Belonging to the King, she succeeded to royalty and her fame went out among the nations because of her beauty, "for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord God (Ezekiel 16:10-14).

But she trusted in her own beauty because of her fame, and she poured out her harlotry to anyone who would have it. She adorned the high places with her garments, and played the harlot on them. She took His jewelry and made male images for herself with it and played the harlot with them. She covered them with the garments that God clothed her with and she set His oil and incense before them. She set the fine food which He gave her, before them as sweet incense (Ezekiel 16:15-19).

They sacrificed the children which they bore for the Lord to their idols to be devoured by them. Then He asked them a rhetorical question:

"Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?" (Ezekiel 16:21)

God was displeased and disappointed and goes on to say, "In all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood" (Ezekiel 16:22).

In an exclamation of judgement, God then said, ‘Woe, woe to you! After all this wickedness, you built yourself a shrine and made a high place for yourself in every street. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by and multiplied your acts of harlotry. You committed your harlotry with your fleshly neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger" (Ezekiel 16:23-26).

Because of their harlotry, He gave them up to the Philistines who were ashamed of their lewd behavior, and they played the harlot with Assyria and Chaldea, but were still not satisfied. God's words to Israel were harsh: “How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God, “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot" (Ezekiel 16:27-30). If you said this today about Israel, you would certainly be accused of being anti-Semitic and of not speaking the truth in love. However, the reality is that God and Jesus said very harsh things to Israel. That is why Ezekiel and the other prophets were persecuted and some martyred. 

God continues in the next section with likening Jerusalem as an adulterous wife because she takes strangers instead of her husband, who was God. She was opposite from the other harlots by giving payment, but not taking payment. She was giving herself to everyone for free, and she hired her lovers to come to her from all around (Ezekiel 16:31-34).

Such heinous sins as Israel's are often overlooked or downplayed by Christians today. However, Israel's harlotry and adultery against God was and is a very serious matter in God's sight. So much so, that He judged them for it by leaving their presence and destroying their temple and city by means of an extremely devastating siege against them. 

Their judgement was described as all of her lovers being gathered against her, all around, and her nakedness being exposed so they would see all her nakedness (Ezekiel 16:35-37).

"And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy" (Ezekiel 16:38) He is a jealous God and she was His wife who committed adultery against Him. Therefore in His judgement He was going to bring blood upon them in fury and jealousy, in the same way that an adulterer is judged. Notice that He equates breaking wedlock with shedding blood. Breaking wedlock is a very serious matter in God's sight. Much of their blood was shed when Babylon attacked Jerusalem. 

Furthermore, in His judgement He was going to give her into her lovers' hand, who would destroy her high places, strip her of her clothes, take her beautiful jewelry, and leave her naked and bare (Ezekiel 16:39). He had given her clothing to cover her nakedness and beautiful jewelry to adorn herself, now He was going to remove them and take them from her.

Her lovers were going to come against her and stone her with stones as an adulterer would be stoned under the law. She would be run through with swords. They would burn her houses with fire and execute judgements on her in the sight of many women, and God would make her stop playing the harlot and hiring lovers. Then God would lay to rest His fury toward her and His jealousy would depart from them. However, because they did not remember the days of their youth, but provoked Him to anger with all these things, they would compensate Him for their deeds by way of His wrath (Ezekiel 16:40-43). 

This proverb would be used against her: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’ (Ezekiel 16:44). Everyone would recognize her as the daughter of a Hittite because of her conduct, in contrast with a child of God. 

She was her mother's daughter, who loathed her Husband and children (Ezekiel 16:45). She committed adultery against her Husband, and sacrificed her children to the Canaanite god Molech.

She was the sister of her elder sister Samaria to the north, and her younger sister Sodom to the south, who both loathed their husbands and children as well. She did not walk in their ways or act according to their abominations, however she became more corrupt than them in all her ways (Ezekiel 16:46-47). Because Samaria was inhabited by Israel, she was Judah's sister by blood line, however Sodom was in Canaan, so He seems to be saying that just as her mother and father were Canaanites, so was her younger sister.

God had previously given Judah's elder sister Samaria (the northern kingdom of Israel) a certificate of divorce and His presence left her because of her abominations. He brought the nation of Assyria against her to conquer and drive out, bringing an end to her. Her sister Sodom was destroyed by fire raining down from heaven because of her abominations. Judah's fate would be the same as that of her two sisters.

Judah's iniquity was greater than Sodom's and Samaria's. Sodom had pride, gluttony, and idleness. She did not help the poor and needy. She was haughty and committed her abominations before God, so He took her away as He saw fit (Ezekiel 16:48-50).

Samaria was more righteous than Judah was, in that she did not commit half the sins Judah did. Judah multiplied her abominations more than her sisters, and she justified her sisters by all of her abominations. God instructed her to be disgraced and to bear her own shame because she had justified her sisters, and therefore He was going to "deal with her for despising the oath by breaking the covenant" (Ezekiel 16:51-59).

It's not as if Judah was married to a husband who abused or abandoned her, and therefore she had an affair with someone else. No, her Husband was good. He loved her and gave her everything. Yet she committed adultery with anyone who would allow her, and even paid them for it. She committed detestable abominations in the temple of God by sacrificing to false gods, removing the articles, giving the gold and silver in it to other nations, and building new altars within it to sacrifice to false gods. Furthermore, she sacrificed her children that God had given her to Molech, the Canaanite god. Her sins against God were much more perverted and corrupt than those of her sisters Samaria and Sodom. So much so that their sins looked good in light of hers. 

Because of the fact that God had made a covenant with Judah (Israel) in the days of her youth, he would not forget that and He would remember them and establish an everlasting covenant with them (Ezekiel 16:60). The everlasting covenant was made by Jesus in the Upper Room during the Last Supper (Mark 14:24). Many, but not all of Israel would enter into this new covenant with God; only a remnant would. 

Then she would remember her ways and be ashamed when she received their older sister Samaria, and her younger sister Sodom (Ezekiel 16:61). Who did Samaria and Sodom represent? During Jesus's day, Samaria was the region where the northern kingdom of Israel had once existed and the Samaritans were despised by the Jews. However, when Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples, he said that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to end of the earth (Acts 1:8). Therefore, his disciples were being sent to Samaria and to the ends of the earth, which Sodom may represent as a gentile nation. In this way Israel would no longer reject her sisters, Samaria and Sodom, but she would "receive" them, and therefore God would give them to her as her daughters (Ezekiel 16:61).

When God establishes His everlasting covenant with them they would know that He is the Lord, so they may remember and be ashamed and never speak again as they previously have, because of their shame (Ezekiel 16:62-63). The timing of this will be when God provides an atonement for all they had done (Ezekiel 16:63). 

They were not to forget their ways, but remember them so they would be ashamed, as a way to keep them in check. If they forgot, they would revert back to their old ways. 

This was a prophecy of future events given to Judah way back when. As promised, God has established an everlasting covenant through Jesus, the Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16-17) and He has provided the atonement for their sins, which was Jesus. The former covenant that He made with them at Mount Sanai was temporary until faith would come, (Galatians 3:24-25), and has been made obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). All are "sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29). 

Chapter 17

In chapter 17, God gives Ezekiel a parable to cite to the house of Israel (Ezekiel 17:1-10). He explains that the parable is about His judgement that will come upon King Zedekiah due to breaking his covenant with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, but even more importantly for breaking Israel's covenant with God (Ezekiel 17:11-21; 2 Kings 24:20, 25:1-7).

God asks a very thought provoking question, "Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?" (Ezekiel 17:15).

Based on what He says next, the answer is obviously, "no, one cannot break God's covenant and still be delivered" because Zedekiah was going to die for doing so:

‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die" (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭17:16‬)

God calls breaking His covenant "treason", therefore He was going to take him to Babylon for judgement where his children would be slain before him, his eyes would be gouged out, and he would die (Ezekiel 17:20; 2 Kings 25:6-7).

Because of Zedekiah's treachery, all of his fugitives and troops would fall by the sword and those who remain will be scattered by every wind (Ezekiel 17:21; 2 Kings 25:5).

It is evident that Israel's breaking of God's covenant was and is no small matter. If it was, the northern kingdom would not have been made extinct and Judah would not have been facing a similar fate. God's wrath of judgement against them because of their unfaithfulness was real and many were going to die before it was over. But some who were scattered by every wind were going to return and rebuild the city and the temple, and even more importantly a new King would take the throne through whom a new covenant and an everlasting kingdom would be established (Ezekiel 17:22-24). The remnant who are scattered throughout the world from every nation, tribe and tongue would have the opportunity to enter into this covenant and Kingdom.

"One of the highest branches" in verse 22 is likely a reference to Christ. Isaiah called him, "The Branch of the Lord" (Isaiah 4:2) and also said, "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isaiah‬ ‭11:1‬).

Jeremiah said, “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth" (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23:5, 33:15‬).

Zechariah said, ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH" (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭3:8‬), and

"Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” ’ (‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭6:12‭-‬13‬).

The description of the "tender twig" that God is going to crop off from the branch and plant on the high and prominent mountain (Ezekiel 17:22-23), is very similar to the description of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon described in Daniel 4:10-12 and 4:20-22:

“These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it" (Daniel 4:10-12).

“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,  whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—  it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth" (‭‭Daniel‬ ‭4:20-22‬).

It is also very similar to description of the kingdom of God that Jesus describes in his parable of the mustard seed:

 

"Then He said, 'To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.'” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:30‭-‬32‬).

Everyone would know that it was the Lord who brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish (Ezekiel 17:24).

Israel was the kingdom of God. They were His people whom He made a covenant with, and if they would have accepted Him, He would have been their God. But they rejected Him and chose to follow after other gods, breaking the covenant. They chose to be reigned over by a human king, rather than by God, in order to be like the other nations, rather than a holy nation. They refused God's offer to be His kingdom of people. 

So God dried up and brought down the kingdom of Israel, and He exalted the gentiles and made them flourish to provoke Israel to jealousy in order to save some of them:

"I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles" (Romans‬ ‭11:11‬).

"if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them" (Romans‬ ‭11:14‬).

The gentiles were not included in the people of God and had not obtained God's mercy. They were in darkness, but God called them into His marvelous Light. They have been grafted into the olive tree with those who do not continue in unbelief but have faith (Romans 11:23). In Christ, they became a chosen generation, a holy nation, God's own special people - the people of God - who now have obtained God's mercy.

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" (‭‭I Peter‬ ‭2:9‭-‬10‬).

There was a new King with a new covenant and kingdom on the horizon. His blood would be the seal of the covenant and his royal subjects would be different from the old ones - they would possess faith, allegiance and loyalty to their King, and God's law would be written on their hearts. 

Chapter 18

In chapter 18, God begins by speaking through Ezekiel and saying, 

"The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, 'What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?'"‭‭ (Ezekiel‬ ‭18:2‬)‭.

What God is saying is that the fathers are eating the sour grapes, but it is the children who are experiencing the sourness of them, setting their teeth on edge. Apparently Israel believed at that time that the bad things they were experiencing were due to the sins of their fathers and not of their own doing, thus they were not taking responsibility of their own sins and they would utter this parable. 

However, God said through Ezekiel that they will no longer say that parable (Ezekiel 18:3) and goes on through the rest of the chapter to correct their belief by explaining that each person is responsible for their own sins and will be judged accordingly. 

He begins by saying that "all souls are Mine; the soul of the the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right... He is just and shall surely live" (Ezekiel 18:4-5, 9).

He clarified that he was talking about whether the soul will live or die, not physical life or death, because many of his listeners may have thought that he was referring to physical death, especially with the pressures they were experiencing by Babylonian forces. 

However, the death of the soul and physical death are two different things. If the soul dies, one can continue to physically exist, but the way they live their life is meaningless and they will eventually die without any hope of God. The person whose soul lives is the opposite. Their life is filled with meaning and hope because they are doing what God created them to do - that which is just and right. 

Just as Israel believed that the sins of their fathers was the cause of their hardship, they also believed that the righteousness of their fathers would save their souls. However God disagreed with their line of thinking and corrected them by saying that if a father who does what is just and right has a son who commits heinous sins, the son's soul will not be saved by the father's righteousness, but his soul will die because of his own sin (Ezekiel 18:10-13). Even though their fathers were promised things by God because of their righteousness, the promises would not save the children who are unrighteous. Their salvation was not based on their heritage, race or ancestry. Each person was responsible for their own actions and would be judged accordingly. 

If the wicked son fathers a child who does what is just and right, the father's soul will die, but his child's soul will live (Ezekiel 18:14-18).

If a wicked man turns from his sins, keeps all of God's statutes and does what is just and right, his soul will live. All of his transgressions will not be remembered because of the righteousness he has done. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in the turning of the wicked to righteousness so they will live (Ezekiel 18:21-23).

If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and sins, and does the things that wicked men do, his soul will die. The righteous things he did will not be remembered because he is guilty of unfaithfulness and of committing sin (Ezekiel 18:24).

The house of Israel must have complained about God's ways regarding these matters by saying that His ways were not fair, therefore He responded to them by saying that it was their ways, not His, that were unfair (Ezekiel 18:25).

He restated what He had previously said, "When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of his iniquity which he has done that he dies" (Ezekiel 18:26), and "When a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he committed and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, 'the way of the Lord is not fair'. Oh house of Israel, is it not My ways that are fair and your ways which are unfair?" (Ezekiel 18:27-29).

Because Israel believed that God's ways were unfair, He warned them that He was going to judge them according to their ways which were "abominations" in God's sight (Ezekiel 18:30, 7:3). He instructed them to repent from all their transgressions so that it would not bring them to ruin. He instructed them to cast away all the transgressions which they had committed and to get a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 18:30-31).

The chapter concludes with another warning and call to repent, "For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies. Therefore, turn and live!" (Ezekiel 18:31-32).

God was clear that their salvation was conditional. The conditions were that if the Israel of Ezekiel's time did not repent, He was going to judge them, their souls were going to die and they were going to come to ruin. However, if they did repent, they would live. 

This entire passage challenges the view of many Christians who believe that God's promises to the kingdom of Israel were unconditional. God clearly stated the conditions of salvation to Israel, which are the same for all people today: repent or come to ruin and die. 

It also challenges the doctrine of eternal security. God clearly stated not once, but twice, that if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and sins, his soul will die because he is unfaithful and commits sin. James says something similar in the New Testament:

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (‭‭James‬ ‭1:14‭-‬15‬).

God's word is clear that sin leads to death - physical death and death of the soul (spiritual death). Someone who is "dead", does not have life. That is why Jesus came (John 10:10). It was also the problem that Israel had, and is why God had said that they needed a new heart and a new spirit. He provided a new Spirit for them at Pentecost and offers a new heart at rebirth in Jesus. 

Many Christians today are like Israel and do not believe that God's ways regarding these matters are fair, so they have come up with their own ideas that seem fair to them.

All Christians believe that a person who turns from being wicked to righteousness will live, but not all agree that if this same person turns from his righteous ways, and then later turns back to wickedness, will die in his sins. Yet that is what God said will happen. But despite what God said, many Christians believe he will live even though he has turned back to wickedness, disregarding God's word. 

Nor do all agree that if a person is righteous, such as a child who is born into a Christian family and accepts Jesus as Lord at a young age, but then turns to wickedness later in life, will die. Yet that is what God said will happen. But similar to the example above, despite what God said, many Christians believe he will live even though he has turned to wickedness, disregarding God's word. 

They have come up with their own ways that are more fair in their own eyes, and by doing so, are rejecting God's word. 

The root of this issue lies in the understanding of salvation. Most Christians believe that salvation means that whoever believes in Jesus will go to heaven when they die, and therefore our eternal dwelling place is the focus of salvation. Since that is the case, it is understood by those who hold this view, that once a person accepts Jesus as Lord, they will go to heaven when they die, regardless of whether or not they remain faithful to God throughout their life. They believe that once a person accepts Jesus as Lord, they are saved (meaning they will go to heaven when they die), and nothing they can do will ever change that. Under this view, faithfulness to God throughout our lifetime is not required.

However, the Bible teaches that salvation includes our present life, as well as our eternal life. That is the message God is presenting to Israel through Ezekiel in chapter 18. He is saying that if you live in righteousness you will live, but if you live in wickedness you will die. Under this view, salvation requires faithfulness, loyalty and commitment to God throughout our entire lifetime, whereas the previous view does not. Faithfulness, endurance, and perseverance throughout this lifetime are all Biblical ideas woven throughout the Bible, and are required elements of salvation. A person cannot be unfaithful to God throughout his lifetime and yet receive the promise of salvation. It's impossible because salvation includes our present lives as well as our eternal lives. 

Neither God nor His word have changed since He presented this message to Israel, and He says the same thing to Christians today who do not trust that His ways are fair, posing a very good question for all of us to consider:

"You say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?"‭‭ (Ezekiel‬ ‭18:25‬).‬‬ 

Chapter 19

Ezekiel 19 is a lamentation for Israel. A lamentation is an expression of grief, mourning, regret, condemnation, or wailing. Israel who once thrived as a nation blessed by being set apart for God, was now going to fall into ruin and desolation. The land which was once fruitful and known as the dwelling place of God, was now going to be desolate of its fruitfulness, its people and its God. This was a great time of grief and lament for Israel. 

The chapter begins with God telling them a parable and saying, “'Moreover take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel' and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; among the young lions she nourished her cubs'"(‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭19:1-2‬). 

One of her cubs became a young lion. He learned to catch prey and devour men. But when the nations heard of him, they trapped him and brought him in chains to Egypt. 

So, she took another one of her cubs and made him into a young lion. He roved among the lions and became a young lion. He learned to catch prey and devour men. He laid waste their cities and desolated the land by the noise of his roaring. 

Then the nations from every side threw a net over him and trapped him in a pit. They chained him and put him in a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him in nets so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 19:1-9).

An understanding of God's relationship with the kingdom of Israel at that time, as well as what was going on in the kingdom of Israel during that time, provides an explanation of the parable. 

God was both the husband and the King of Israel. Because of His royalty, His children who were the kings who reigned over Judah, are the princes that are mentioned in 19:1, and Israel is the mother that is mentioned in 19:2.

God said that Israel was a lioness who laid down among the lions and among the lions she nourished her cubs. The lions are the other nations, and her cubs are her children. Israel had laid down among the other nations and among the other nations she nourished her children. Israel had become like the other nations and she not only reared her children to be like them, but she "nourished" them, which gives a sense of feeding them, raising them and encouraging them to be like the other nations. 

The first cub of the lioness is Jehoahaz, who was made king of Judah by the Judeans after his father Josiah was killed in battle by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. (2 Kings 23:29, 31). He is described as doing "evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that his fathers had done" (2 Kings 23:32).

Jehoahaz reigned as king for three months before being imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco in Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he could not reign as king in Jerusalem. He imposed a tribute to be paid to him by Judah, and then took Jehoahaz to Egypt where he died just as Ezekiel predicted (2 Kings 23:33-34).

To replace Jehoahaz, Pharaoh Neco made Josiah's son and Jehoahaz's step brother, Eliakim king of Judah. Pharaoh Neco changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. There in Jerusalem, Jehoiakim continued to pay tribute to Egypt by taxing the land of Judah. Jehoiakim did evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done (2 Kings 23:34-37).

During Jehoiakim's reign, God sent armies of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah to destroy and remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh and all the innocent blood he had filled Jerusalem with (2 King 24:1-4). These were the nations told in the parable that came against the second young lion from every side, who threw a net over him, trapped him in a pit, chained him, caged him, and took him to the king of Babylon. 

The second young lion of Ezekiel's parable is Jehoiakim's son, Jehoichin, who reigned over Judah as king. He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done (2 Kings 24:8-9).

During Jehoiachin's reign, Babylon came against Jerusalem and besieged it. When Jehoiachin, his mother, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon, the king and the rest of them were taken prisoner and carried to Babylon as predicted by Ezekiel in his parable (2 Kings 24:10-16).

Ezekiel 19:10-14 describe where Israel had been, and where she was now. 

Speaking to the princes, God said, "Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, planted by the waters, fruitful and full of branches because of many waters" (Ezekiel 19:10).

As previously discussed, the princes are the kings and their mother is Israel. They were princes because their parents were royalty. Therefore a royal bloodline ran throughout Israel. Because their King was God, they were healthy and fruitful and full of branches, like a vine planted near the water.

It was through the royal bloodline of Israel, that the Branch through whom streams of living water would flow, was promised to come. He would become the King of God's kingdom of Israel. He is the promise of the covenant that God made with Israel. Israel was God's chosen vessel through whom the Messiah would come and bless the nations. It is for this reason that Israel is referred to by God as His chosen people. The purpose of their "chosenness" has been fulfilled in Christ, however Israel could have remained as God's holy nation if they would have kept the terms of the covenant that God made with them. Unfortunately they chose not to and would soon have to face the fury of His wrath. 

In 19:11, God continues describing Israel's magnificence while under His kingship, 

"She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, And was seen in her height amid the dense foliage" (‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭19:11‬).

God often described powerful nations as trees with strong branches. Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon is described in such a way in Daniel 4, and so is Assyria in Ezekiel 31. The most powerful nation -  God's holy nation, the kingdom of God - is described as a tree that is greater than all the herbs and shoots out large branches so that all the birds of the air can come and nest in its branches (Mark 4:31).

Israel is also described as having strong branches, but being even higher in stature than the all other earthly nations, and recognized by them as such. Not because of their race or ancestry, but because they were the people who belonged to the one true God.

However, in Ezekiel's parable, he prophesied that God's fury was going to come upon them, and her strong branches were going to be broken, withered, and burned up by fire. She will become desolate, devoid of fruit, and have no scepter for ruling, meaning she would lose her sovereignty (royalty) and no longer have any ruling authority among the nations:

"But she was plucked up in fury, She was cast down to the ground, And the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; The fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land. Fire has come out from a rod of her branches and devoured her fruit, so that she has no strong branch— a scepter for ruling.’ This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation" (Ezekiel‬ ‭19:12‭-‬14‬).

Ezekiel's prediction came true and the kingdom of Israel was obliterated both physically and spiritually. It ceased to exist as a nation, and God's presence departed from them. When the surrounding nations looked upon them they would see their grief, mourning, regret, condemnation, and wailing, and see that their verbal expression had become a reality. Israel would be viewed as an example of a lamentation. 

Chapter 20:1-32

Ezekiel Chapter 20 is another long passage, containing 49 verses. In the first 32 verses, God summarizes the history of Israel's apostacy to the elders of Israel who had once again come to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord, just as they had done back in chapter 14. And just as in chapter 14, God instructed Ezekiel to say to them, "I will not be inquired of by you" (Ezekiel 20:3). It seems that God wanted to either remind Israel of their fathers' apostacy, or make it known to them in case they were not aware of it. The former seems more likely, but whatever the case, they were following in their father's footsteps, and God's patience with them had run out.

God instructed Ezekiel to judge them by making known to them the abominations of their fathers (Ezekiel 20:4). He concludes this portion of the passage in verse 31 where He again said to the elders of Israel, "I will not be inquired of by you" (Ezekiel 20:31) and follows in verse 32 with saying, "What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, 'We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone'" (Ezekiel 20:32).

Let's look at the passage more closely.

On this occasion, the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord on August 14, 591 B.C. This event occurred eleven months after Ezekiel was shown the vision of Israel's abominations that were taking place in the temple in chapter 8. The elders had come to Ezekiel then as well, and were sitting with him when he saw the vision and was taken in the Spirit to the temple in Jerusalem, where he was shown all of their abominations (Ezekiel 8:1). God had also said at that time that He would not hear them, even though they would cry loudly in His ears (Ezekiel 8:18).

Israel's sin had provoked God to anger, therefore He was not going to hear them, and He thought it foolish that they came to inquire of Him when they had other gods to inquire of. He was not their God, these false gods that they worshiped were. So He said to them, "Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, I will not be inquired of by you" (Ezekiel 20:2-3).

This poses some important questions for us today. If a Christian who sins against God and does not repent inquires of God, will God hear them? Or, if a person who worships false gods inquires of God, will God hear them? Finally, if a Jew, who rejects that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore continues to rebel against God, inquires of God, will God hear them? 

In all cases, it seems evident from God's response in this passage that God will not hear from anyone unless they repent and turn to Him and are genuinely seeking Him. Israel's elders had only come to inquire of the Lord because pressure was mounting and they were afraid. Jerusalem had been under siege for 14 years at this time. They had no power or control. Many had been transported from Jerusalem in captivity to Babylon, and food shortages were likely to be at the beginning stages due to the siege. They did not heed Ezekiel's warnings to repent and turn to the Lord, nor did they intend to. They had false prophets telling them that everything was going to turn out fine because God was on their side. However, they were beginning to experience the reality of Ezekiel and Jeremiah's prophecies. That is the reason the elders came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Unbeknownst to them, in only a few more years, Babylon was going to come in force to attack Jerusalem, at which time many Israelites were going to die, the city and the temple were going to be destroyed, and God's presence was going to leave.

Ezekiel had the very difficult responsibility of making the abominations of Israel's fathers known to the Israel of his day (Ezekiel 20:4). Nobody wants to hear that their ancestors were wicked people who committed "abominations", however that is what God wanted them to hear, so that they might hear and turn to Him.  

In verses 5-9, God instructs Ezekiel to tell the elders that He chose Israel and made an oath to the descendants of Jacob to bring them out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey, "the glory of all lands" (Ezekiel 20:5-6).

At that time, God said that each of them were to throw away the abominations which were before their eyes, and that they were not to defile themselves with the idols of Egypt, because He was the Lord their God. However, they rebelled against God and would not obey Him. They continued in their abominations and did not forsake the idols of Egypt. Therefore He said that He would pour out His fury on them and fulfill His anger against them while in the presence of Egypt. But He decided that He would not destroy them while they were among the Gentiles, for His name's sake, because the Gentiles had witnessed Him making Himself known to Israel when He brought them out of Egypt (Ezekiel 20:7-9).

In verse 5, God mentions the day when He "chose Israel" and made "an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob". As previously discussed, God chose Israel as His special treasure through whom the Messiah would come and bless all the nations as He had promised Abraham. Israel was not chosen due to race, ethnicity, ancestry, or nationality, nor is she superior to any other race of people because she was chosen by God. Contrary to popular belief, Israel was and is not "God's chosen people" due to race or nationality, and therefore they do not have special privileges and rights that are above those of other races and nationalities. God chose Israel as the people through whom the Messiah would come.

God said that the oath that He made to the house of Jacob was to bring them out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey, "the glory of all lands". Jacob was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. He was the second born to Rebekah, however he deceived his brother Esau into selling him his birthright and his dying father into giving him the firstborn blessing. Because of his deceit, Jacob received the rights and blessings that his brother Esau should have received, including the promise of the inheritance that was given to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

Later, God changed his name from Jacob to Israel, and instructed him to "be fruitful and multiply" because "a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land" (Genesis 35:9-12). 

It was not only one nation, "Israel", that was going to proceed from Israel, but many nations - " a company of nations". These nations and the land that He was being given were going to be filled with his descendants, and kings were going to descend from him. They would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand of the seashore. 

The house of Jacob, could also be thought of as "Jacob's dynasty", and it consisted of his descendants to whom the promise of the Messiah was made to. It was through his - the man Israel's - lineage that the the Messiah would come and that the greatest nation would be conceived - God's holy nation - and which will be comprised of many nations as numerous as the stars and the sky and the sand of the seashore (1 Peter 2:9-10).

The promise began with Abraham and his descendants, beginning with his son Isaac, and now it was being narrowed down to Isaac's son Israel and to his descendants. God's promise was not for all of Abraham, Isaac, or Israel's descendants. For example, the promise was not given to Abraham's son Ishmael, but only to his son Isaac. The promise was not given to Isaac's son Esau, but only to his son Jacob. And the promise was not given to all twelve of Jacob's sons, but only to his son Judah, etc.

The point is that not all of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are Israel, but only those who are descendants of whom the promise was given, i.e. Isaac, Jacob, Judah, etc. Israel's descendant lineage began with his son Judah, and Judah's descendants through whom the Promise came are recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 

Related to this subject, the apostle Paul said in the New Testament, "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." (Romans 9:6-8). Paul narrows down Israel's identity even further when he says that only those who have faith in Christ are descendants of Abraham and the children of God (Romans 11:20; Galatians 3:7, 26-29).   

This is far different than what the vast majority of Christians believe today regarding Israel. Israel is believed to consist of anyone who is Jewish, and that they are God's chosen people who have special rights and privileges, especially regarding the land. The common belief is that God has two people  - ethnic Israel, and Christians. Included in ethnic Israel, is the current geopolitical nation of Israel, which is primarily secular. A very small amount of Jews in Israel actually practice Judaism, however most believe that all the Jews are going to be saved in the last days. 

Most modern day Christians have never been taught that the primary promise to Abraham and his descendants, and the reason that God chose Israel, was to bring the Messiah through them. Jesus is the Promise that was given to Israel. The promise of the Messiah has been fulfilled. However, has the promise of the land been fulfilled? Most Christians do not believe that it has, but the Bible says different. Let's look at that now.

In addition to the promise of the Messiah, God also promised that Israel's descendants would inherit the land which he also had promised to Abraham and Isaac. Just as the promise that the Messiah was going to come through Israel, Judah, Perez, etc., so was the promise of the land. The land which was promised to the descendants of Jacob was given to them when they entered the Promised Land and were conquered by Joshua:

"So Joshua conquered all the land: the mountain country and the South and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded" (‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10:40‬).

"As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses" (‭‭Joshua‬ ‭11:15‬).

While on his death bed, Joshua said to the leaders of Israel: 

"And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. (Joshua 23:14).

"All" that God had promised Israel had come to pass, and "not one thing has failed; not one word of them." It is evident that Israel had come to possess all the land of Canaan that God had promised to them. He left nothing undone, of all that God had commanded Moses.

After that, Joshua called all of Israel to gather at Shechem where they agreed to the terms of God's covenant with them. At that time, they made this statement further indicating that they had possession of all the land that was promised to them:

"And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land" (Joshua 24:18).

The Bible also says that Israel had control over all the land under King Solomon's reign. 1 Kings 9:20-21 says:

"All the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel— that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day."

God fulfilled His promises to Israel of inheriting the land and the Messiah. All has come to pass; not one word of them has failed because God is faithful and keeps His word.

In Ezekiel 20:10-14, God talks about bringing Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness, where He gave them His statutes, and showed them His judgements, 'which if a man does, he shall live by them' (Ezekiel 20:10-11).

It was at that time that God gave Israel a sign of the covenant between them and Him. The sign was the Sabbath, and its purpose was so that Israel would know that He is the Lord, and that it is He who sanctifies them (Ezekiel 20:12).

But Israel rebelled against God in the wilderness. They did not walk in His statutes, they despised His judgements, 'which if a man does He shall live by them', and they greatly defiled His Sabbaths. Then God said He would pour out His fury on them in the wilderness to consume them. But He did not do it for His name's sake, so that it would not be profaned before the Gentiles, who saw God bring them out of Egypt (Ezekiel 20:13-14).

God made an oath to Israel, that He would not bring them into the land which He had given them because they despised His judgements and did not walk in His statutes, but profaned His Sabbaths by committing idolatry. Yet He did not destroy and make an end to them in the wilderness (Ezekiel 20:15-17).

God said to their children, "Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgements, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 

"I  am the Lord your God. Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments and do them. Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God" (Ezekiel 20:18-20).

God goes onto say that they rebelled against Him by not walking in His statutes, or being careful to observe His judgements, "which if a man does, He shall live by them", but they profaned His Sabbath (Ezekiel 20:21).

Therefore He was going to pour out His fury on them and fulfill His anger against them in the wilderness, but He withdrew His hand for His name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, who saw Him bring them out of Egypt (Ezekiel 20:22).

God made an oath to those in the wilderness, that He was going to scatter them among the Gentiles, and disperse them throughout the countries because they did not execute His judgements, despised His statutes, profaned His Sabbaths, and fixed their eyes on their fathers' idols (Ezekiel 20:23-24).

Therefore He gave them up to statutes which were not good, and judgements that they could not live by. Furthermore, He pronounced them unclean because they burned their firstborn children in the fire as a ritual gift to Molech. Therefore, He was going to make them desolate so that they might know that He is the Lord (Ezekiel 20:25-26).

In Ezekiel 20:27-29, God reminded Israel of their fathers' idolatry when they entered the Promised Land. He said, "In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me by being unfaithful to Me" (Ezekiel 20:27). 

Then God turned from speaking about their fathers to speaking about them:

"Are you defining yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations? For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So should I be inquired of you, O house of Israel? As I live, I will not be inquired of by you. What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone’" (Ezekiel 20:27-32).

Israel was not satisfied with being God's holy nation. They wanted to be like the surrounding nations who were ruled by men and who served false gods.

God's Oaths to Israel

Six times throughout Ezekiel 20:1-32, God said, "I raised my hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob" (vs.5, 6,15, 23, 28).

Verse 5 - He said it twice. God's oath to Israel was, "I am the Lord your God".

Verse 6 - God's oath to Israel was "to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that God had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands." He instructed them to quit their idolatry because He was the Lord, but they did not. Therefore He was going to destroy them, but decided not to for His name's sake (vs.7-9).

Verse 15 - God's oath to Israel was that He would not bring them into the land which He had given them because they despised His judgements and did not walk in His statutes, but profaned His Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols (vs.16).

Verse 23 - God's oath to Israel was that He would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries because they had not executed His judgments, but had despised His statutes, profaned His Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols (vs.24).

Verse 28 - God's oath was that He would bring them into the land, and when He did, they were unfaithful to Him and they blasphemed Him by committing idolatry with other Gods. When God heard this He was furious and greatly abhorred Israel, so that by His wrath, He forsook the ark of the covenant and gave it into the hands of the Philistines. Furthermore, out of His fury, He gave His people over to the sword, and eventually, He gave them a certificate of divorce (Psalms 78:58-62; Jeremiah 3:6-8). 

The reason I point this out is because:

1) It shows just how patient God is. For over 800 years up to Judah's captivity, Israel had not followed God's statutes or judgements, and yet throughout all that time, though God said that He was going to destroy them, He relented.

2) God made oaths to Israel, and He kept them, which demonstrates God's faithfulness. He made oaths that blessed Israel, and He made oaths that resulted in tribulations, tragedy, pain, suffering, destruction, and even death for Israel. Regardless of whether the promise blessed Israel or brought tragedy to them, He kept His promises. Because God is faithful to always keep His promises, we can trust Him.

3) It is popular today for Christians to believe that God had an unconditional promise to Israel to give them the land of Canaan forever. However, in the first oath that He mentioned in Ezekiel 20:5, His oath was that He was the Lord their God, and each oath that He mentioned after that demonstrated that they did not view Him as the Lord their God, but rather they despised His ways, and therefore there were consequences or conditions for their rejection of Him. 

In verses 6-9 it is said that God made an oath to bring them into the land that He had searched out for them (vs. 6). Then He instructed them to get rid of all their idols (vs. 7). However they did not do what He instructed. Therefore God said that He was going to pour out His fury and anger upon them in the midst of Egypt (vs. 8). But He did not do it because He did not want to profane His name among the Gentiles (vs.9). Because of Israel's unfaithfulness, God took them into the wilderness instead of bringing them into the land, which He had vowed to do. He decided to let them live, not because of their "chosenness", or even because He loved them, but because He did not want the Gentiles to witness their destruction and think that He was not the one true God.

The progression is easier to see when it is simplified:

After making an oath to bring them into the land, God relented and made an oath not to bring them into the land because they continued to be unfaithful to Him (vs. 15). Following that He made an oath to scatter them among the Gentiles for the same reason (vs. 23). And after that, though He had made them holy, He now gave them over to their own ways, and pronounced them unclean (vs. 25-26). And finally, He would no longer hear them when they came to inquire of Him (vs. 31). 

God Gave Israel Over to Their Own Ways

Very similar to God's message through Ezekiel, the apostle Paul also describes God giving Israel over to their own ways in Romans 1:21-32. 

Vs.21 - "...although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God". 

It was Israel to whom God had made Himself known and therefore it was Israel who knew God, not the Gentiles (Ezekiel 20:5).

Vs. 24 - "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness" (Ezekiel 20:26).

Vs. 26 - "God gave them up to vile passions" (Ezekiel 20:25).

Vs. 28 - "God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Ezekiel 20:25).

Vs. 32 - "who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."

God gave Israel His statutes and made known to them His judgements, that if they should do them, they shall live by them. Yet, they despised His judgements and continued to commit idolatry as the surrounding nations did, and they approved of their heinous practices (Ezekiel 20:11, 13, 16, 19, 21, 24). Therefore God gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgements that they could not live by (Ezekiel 20:25).

The Conditions of God's Covenants

God said through Ezekiel, that if a man does His statutes and judgements, He will live (Ezekiel 11, 13, 16), and Paul said that those who know the righteous judgment of God, but practice the unfitting things that come from a debased mind, are deserving of death (Romans 1:32). "If" implies a condition. If a man does God's statutes and judgements he will live; if he does not, he is deserving of death and will die. 

What all of this demonstrates is that God's oaths and covenants have conditions attached, and that faithfulness and obedience to God are required on the part of God's people, in order for God to fulfill His promises to them. If they do not meet the conditions that God has put in place, then they break the covenant just as God said Israel had done, and they are no longer deserving of life or the promises that God has made.

God was furious with Israel because of their unfaithfulness and for breaking the covenant. Therefore, "He thrust them from His presence" the Bible says. That God's covenant with Israel was unconditional does not square with what the Bible teaches. Instead of teaching something that the Bible does not teach, the consequences of unfaithfulness to God should to be taught as a warning to those who have faith in Christ today, to remain faithful to God throughout their lifetime, otherwise they may experience the same fate as Israel.

However, it is popular for the church to teach that God's covenants are unconditional, and therefore Israel deserves the good promises of God, but not the bad, even though they were continuously unfaithful and the Bible teaches otherwise. It is equally as popular for the church to teach that God's love is unconditional, and therefore we deserve the good promises of God, but not the bad, even if we are continually unfaithful and the Bible teaches otherwise. 

An often overlooked, unknown, and therefore untaught passage of Scripture that deals with whether or not God's covenants are conditional is Jeremiah 18:7-10 which says:

"The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it" (Jeremiah 18:7‭-‬10). 

In other words, if God says that He is going to destroy a nation, but that nation repents, such as in the case of Ninevah, He will not destroy it as He said He would. Similarly, if God says that He is going to bless a nation, but the nation does evil in His sight and does not obey Him, as in the case of Israel, then He will not bless them with the good things that He said He would.

God makes it clear that the covenants that He makes with His people are conditional, and that faithfulness and obedience are the conditions. Faithfulness and obedience to God was required in God's kingdom of Israel under the old covenant, and it is required to all those who have faith in Christ who are in God's kingdom under the new covenant today.

The Sabbath 

In Ezekiel 20:12, God said that He gave Israel His Sabbaths as a sign between them and Him, so that they might know that He is the Lord who sanctified them.

In verse 13, He said that they "greatly defiled His Sabbaths".

In verses 15 and 16, one of the reasons why God promised Israel that He would not bring them into the land was because they profaned His Sabbaths. 

In verse 20, recapping Israel's history of rebellion to the Israel of that time, God instructed the children of Israel not to walk in their father's ways, but to hallow His Sabbaths and they will be a sign between Him and them, so that they might know that He is the Lord their God. 

In verse 21, God said that regardless of God's warnings, Israel rebelled against Him and profaned His Sabbaths. 

In verse 23 and 24, God made an oath to scatter Israel among the Gentiles and to disperse them throughout the nations, one of the reasons being that they profaned His Sabbaths. 

Obviously God's Sabbath was important, and that it was important to God for Israel to keep it. It was one of the reasons that God promised to not bring Israel into the land and then later, to scatter them among the nations. But why was it so important?

The reason is because the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant between them and God (Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Exodus 20:8). Just as circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, and baptism is the sign of the new covenant made with Christ's shed blood, the Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic covenant. 

The purpose of the Sabbath was so that Israel might know that God is the Lord who sanctifies them (vs.12), and so that they would know that He is the Lord their God (vs.20). Similar to the word "holy", "sanctify" means to "set apart." God wanted Israel to understand that He was the Lord their God and that He was the Lord who set them apart from the other nations for Himself. 

Like the other laws that God had given to Israel, the Sabbath was to identify Israel's distinction from the other nations. They were commanded to "keep it holy" (Deuteronomy 5:12). "Holy" means "to set apart". Israel's observation of the Sabbath would set it apart from the other days and it would set them apart from the other nations who did not keep a Sabbath.

God said that Israel "greatly defiled the Sabbath" (Ezekiel 20:13) and that they "profaned the Sabbath" (Ezekiel 20:16,21,24). To "defile" something is to make it unclean or impure and to "profane" something is to make something that is sacred, ordinary.

Israel did not keep the sign of their covenant with God. Instead they made it unclean by not keeping God's requirements of the Sabbath. They observed God's Sabbath as a day that was no different than any other. By defiling and profaning God's Sabbath, Israel looked like every other nation.

A good question for today is whether or not Christians are required to keep the Sabbath. There are many different opinions, making it a controversial subject.

However, the Sabbath was a sign of the Mosaic covenant which has been made obsolete because a new covenant has been imparted (Hebrews 8:13). Furthermore, the New Testament writers did not include any commands or instructions from Jesus or the apostles regarding Sabbath requirements.

On the contrary, the Gospel writers include accounts of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, and when he was challenged by the Jews for healing on the Sabbath, he is recorded by John as saying, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17).

John also wrote that Jesus "broke the Sabbath" (John 5:18), and Jesus is recorded as saying , "The Sabbath was made for man, and man not for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27-28).

Jesus's pushback against the Jew's belief regarding the Sabbath resulted in them persecuting him and seeking to kill him (John 5:16). 

In summary, the Sabbath was required for Israel under the old covenant, but is not a requirement for Christians under the new covenant.

The Land

In Ezekiel 20:6, God said that He had "searched out" a land for Israel. In Ezekiel 20:6, and 20:15, God described the land as "'flowing with milk and honey', the glory of all lands."

This land that God sought and found for Israel to settle in was the land of Canaan, which was inhabited by the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Gergashites and Jebusites. These were a grossly wicked people who practiced divination, witchcraft, and temple sex. Their conduct mimicked that of the perverted gods they worshiped: adultery, homosexuality, transvestism, pederasty, bestiality, and incest. Worst of all, the Canaanites practiced child sacrifice to their gods Molech and Kronos. 

God is extremely patient and had allowed Canaan's wickedness for four hundred years, but now He was going to take the land from the Canaanites and give it to Israel as an act of judgement against them (Genesis 15:16). As long as they remained faithful, He was going to drive them out before Israel as they entered the land to take possession of it (Joshua 3:10). Israel was also God's sanctified people, and He did not want them to fall into the grossly immoral practices of the Canaanites, therefore those who were not driven out of the land were killed.

God's Judgement 

The Bible indicates that when God judges a nation, He often destroys it, as He did with the land of Canaan. Below are some other examples of God's judgement of nations:

God judged Egypt because of their idolatry. He physically and economically destroyed the land by plagues because Pharaoh would not repent and set His people free (Exodus 12:12).

God annihilated Sodom and Gomorrah by fire because of their wickedness, destroying not only the land, but all of its inhabitants as well (Genesis 19:1-29). 

When God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, He was sorry that He made man on the earth, and He was grieved in his heart. So He destroyed man whom He had created from the face of the earth (Genesis 6:5-7).

In judgement against the northern kingdom of Israel for its "harlotry", God used the pagan nation of Assyria to besiege and then conquer them. Israel was carried off to Assyria, bringing an end to the northern kingdom. God granted them a certificate of divorce, tore them away from His kingdom, and removed them from His sight (2 Kings 17:5-18; Hosea 1:4-5; Jeremiah 3:8).

Later, God judged the southern kingdom of Judah because even though she saw all the treachery that Israel had done, she did not turn to God with her whole heart, but went and played the harlot also (Jeremiah 3:7-10). Because of this, Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem, and destroyed the city and the temple. Many of the Judeans were killed, and most who were not were carried off to Babylon in captivity. This came upon Judah at the commandment of the Lord to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh which He would not forgive (2 Kings 24:3-4).

In a very similar manner to His judgement of Judah in 586 BC, God judged Israel in A.D. 70, again destroying the city of Jerusalem and the temple by use of the nation of Rome. His presence departed from Israel, and He took the kingdom from them and gave it to a nation who has faith; a nation who will produce the fruit of justice and righteousness. He had sent His only Son to shed His blood for a new, everlasting covenant with this nation, rendering the old covenant obsolete. This holy nation is His kingdom, ruled by another King, and consisting of His chosen people, a royal priesthood, the children of Abraham, and the children of God. His kingdom has come and is overtaking the world (Matthew 24:1-34; Luke 19:41-44; Luke 21:5-32; Matthew 23:37-39; Matthew 21:43-46; Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 8:13; Acts 17:7; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Galatians 3:7; John 8:39; Galatians 3:26; Mark 1:15; Colossians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 4:20; Matthew 6:10).

God also judges nations in ways other than total destruction of the land. He had brought Israel out of Egypt and promised to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. However, when they refused to enter it because of fear of the people who inhabited it, God was angry with them and threatened to destroy and disinherit them, but Moses intervened on their behalf, persuading God to change His mind. Instead of following through with His threats, He revoked His promise to that generation and did not allow them to enter the land. Instead of giving them the land, He took them into the wilderness to be consumed and to die (Numbers 14:1-38).

Another time, when Moses was meeting with God on Mount Sanai, Israel erected a golden calf, worshiped it, sacrificed to it, and gave it the credit for bringing them out of Egypt's bondage. God was angry with them and wanted to destroy them all, but Moses interceded and instead of destroying them all, He only killed 3,000 of the people who were not on "the Lord's side." The rest of them He plagued and promised to punish for their sin on the day of His visitation. Everyone who sinned was "blotted out of His book" (Exodus 32).

God sent His prophet Jonah to pronounce His judgement upon the exceedingly great and wicked nation of Ninevah, but they immediately repented when they heard Jonah say that God was going to overthrow the city in forty days. Because they humbled themselves and turned to the Lord, God relented of the disaster that He said would come upon them, thus revoking His promise to overthrow them (Jonah 3). 

As seen in these passages, God judges nations, bringing His wrath and tribulation upon them if they are wicked and do evil in His sight. Even His own kingdom of Israel was not exempt from His judgement, His wrath, nor the great tribulations that befell them. They suffered horribly by the hand of God because of their sins.

It is uncommon to hear about God's judgement in churches today. Instead, God's love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness to bless is often preached in order to win souls for Christ. It is common to hear that God is going to spare His people from His wrath and tribulation, and that His promises are forever, regardless of any unfaithfulness to Him on our part. Modern church teachings such as these result in weak, fearful, and unfaithful people who are only concerned with getting out unscathed and being transported to heaven for their own safety. Teachings like these are a far cry from what the Bible teaches.

As we have seen in these passages, God is a judge of the nations, and though He is a God of love, mercy, and grace, and He is faithful to keep His promises, He will relent of His promise to bless a nation if it commits evil, just as He will relent of His promise to destroy a nation if it repents (Jeremiah 18:7-10).

God has expectations of His people to remain faithful to Him throughout their lifetime, which means that they do not fall away from Him and commit harlotry with other gods. Otherwise, if they do, and they do not repent, His presence will depart from us just as it did with Israel. His people should expect God's judgement, tribulation and suffering today, just as Israel did. We should not expect to be saved from such things. As God's people, we are not exempt from them. 

This is the vitally important message that should be taught in the church today. Not a message of "peace, peace when there is no peace", but a warning to Christians to remain faithful to God throughout their lifetimes. Rather than the church preaching the message that God has no conditions or expectations of His people, and that there is no commitment required to go to heaven when they die, it should be teaching that faithfulness to God is the requirement for salvation.

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Ezekiel 20:33-48 continued in next post...