Ezekiel 19-20 Still Don’t Get It
God has been dealing with rebellious Israel since its inception. They still don’t get it! Follow the Lord and live, or don’t and suffer the consequences.
I almost didn’t include Ezekiel 19 in the story time because it is a lament. It doesn’t really have a ‘story’ to it, but it fits with what is happening in 20. The people hear Ezekiel’s lament and come to God for answers; to seek Him.
And they get a FIRM “No! I’m NOT even going to listen to you” from Him. “Talk to the hand” and “Too little, too late.”
God goes back over Israel’s history with Him to show them why He isn’t listening to them right now. There has to be consequences first. Let’s join Ezekiel as he hears how God feels about this state of affairs. Holy Spirit, show me what You want me to learn from Your words today and what You would have me take for my own life.
♥ ♦ ♥
Ezekiel is sitting in his house, thinking over the last two years. Never in his life did he expect that God would use him in the ways He has during these years. It boggles his mind!
Lord God of my fathers, I do not deserve to be used by You, but I am SO HONORED that You have chosen to do so. My desire is to obey You at every turn, but I know there will be times when I fall short. Hold my feet to the fire and keep me from ever turning away from You.
As soon as Ezekiel finishes his prayer, his heart takes on a heaviness. At first, he is afraid that this ‘heaviness’ is conviction for a sin that he has committed and failed to bring to the Lord. But God tells him immediately where the weight is coming from.
“Take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and say:
‘What was your mother? A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs. And she brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men. The nations heard about him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. When she saw that she waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men, and seized their widows. He laid waste their cities, and the land was appalled and all who were in it at the sound of his roaring. Then the nations set against him from provinces on every side; they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit. With hooks they put him in a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into custody, that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.
“‘Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard planted by the water, fruitful and full of branches by reason of abundant water. Its strong stems became rulers’ scepters;
it towered aloft among the thick boughs; it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches. But the vine was plucked up in fury, cast down to the ground; the east wind dried up its fruit; they were stripped off and withered. As for its strong stem, fire consumed it. Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots, has consumed its fruit, so that there remains in it no strong stem, no scepter for ruling’” (Ezekiel 19).
Ezekiel removes his robe and puts on sackcloth. He takes ashes from his fireplace and rubs them into his hair and beard. Then he goes out into the street in front of his house. He covers his head with his hands and calls out the lament the Lord has given him. He does this seven times a day for six days.
The people living near Ezekiel and who pass his street hear the lament first. Word quickly spreads and everyone in the Jewish sector finds time to come by and listen.
On the sixth day, the leaders of Israel gather together. Most of them have heard the lament. Those who haven’t heard it personally, have heard about it and what is contained in it. They meet to discuss what to do.
“He is discouraging the people. He has to stop!”
“You know that he only speaks the words of the Lord. Are you saying that WE can command the Lord?”
Feeling rightly chastised, the first speaker responds; “No. But…”
“Then what do you suggest we do” asks a third.
“We need to go to Ezekiel and ask him to inquire of the Lord on our behalf. To ask for His direction and favor. So that we may ally the fears of the people.”
This plan was quickly accepted by all present.
“When should we go?”
“Tomorrow is the Sabbath. What better day to seek the Lord than on the Sabbath?”
Ezekiel prepares for the Sabbath as well. After calling out for the seventh time this day, he goes to the stream to wash. He washes the ashes from his hair first. As is flows away with the stream, the heaviness seems to be carried away with it. Ezekiel washes his feet and hands next. He looks at his hands as the water passes over them. After watching for a little bit, he takes up his bucket, fills it with water, and returns to his home. Here, in private, he removes the sackcloth from his body and washes his most sensitive parts. Once he is clean, he dresses in his regular robe and prepares to welcome the Sabbath with the setting sun.
The elders arrive at Ezekiel’s home with the rising sun. Ezekiel hears them and opens the door for them to enter. He had been spending time in prayer with the Lord when they arrived.
Ezekiel motions to the seats around the room and the elders each take a place. Ezekiel sits down in his own chair and waits. Finally, the elder who proposed this meeting speaks.
“My lord, all the Jews in exile have heard the lament you were told to proclaim. We have come to inquire of the Lord regarding it. Is there anything we should do or could do to prevent it from coming to pass? What are we supposed to do with the knowledge? What does the Lord require of us?”
Ezekiel listens closely to what is said and the tone in which it is being said. He hears some sincerity in the elder’s voice, but he also hears what is not being said. “They want me to stop with this lament. I wonder if they would be surprised to know that I have finished with it.” Ezekiel doesn’t say these things out loud. He is still unable to speak a word if it is not directed by the Lord.
Ezekiel closes his eyes and listens to the Lord. And the answer he gets back is NOT gentle.
“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you” (Ezekiel 20:3).
Ezekiels repeats the words of the Lord to the elders. Their mouths drop open in surprise. Their leader begins to ask why, but Ezekiel closes his eyes again. The elders start to whisper among themselves, but their leader silences them with a look while Ezekiel continues to listen to the Lord.
“Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Let them know the abominations of their fathers, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.’ But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt” (Ezekiel 20:4-8).
Ezekiel opens his eyes and speaks to the elders. “From the beginning, even in Egypt, the people rebelled against the Lord. They spurned His hand as He worked to free them from captivity. And they refused to listen when He told them to cast away all the idols and detestable things from among them.”
The Lord continues to go through Israel’s history of rebellion with Ezekiel and he lays it bare before the elders.
“The Lord seriously considered destroying the people in Egypt, but for His name’s sake, He brought them out. He took them into the wilderness, away from the influence of Egypt. But they still held onto their idols. They even called for a new god while the Lord was sharing His statutes with Moses!”
Several of the elders’ shoulders drop as they hear again the history of their people. They know these stories and they hurt every time they are brought forth. Many have tried to ignore these parts of their story. They are ashamed of their father’s actions.
Ezekiel sees their reactions but goes on. “The Lord would have blotted the people out that very day, but for His name’s sake, He disciplined them and again called for their hearts. Shortly after that disastrous day, God gave the people His statutes. Statutes that lead to life to those who follow them. God also gave His people the Sabbath, on which to rest and spend time with him.”
The elders perk up a little, as this is the Sabbath and they ARE seeking the Lord; in a fashion.
Ezekiel continues with their history. “Even after giving them the statutes of the Lord, the people rebelled and God was ready to make an end of them. For His name’s sake, He stayed his hand again. But He let them feel the emptiness of the statutes that don’t lead to life as they served other gods from the nations they traveled through.”
All eyes are bowed.
“Our fathers rebelled time and time again. The Lord God was so angry with their rebellion that He forbade the first generation from entering His promised land. And He called to their children NOT to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Yet, even they, who had seen His hand of judgment, were rebellious. Judgment was brought down on them, but God showed mercy again, for the sake of His name.”
One of the elders tapped his neighbor on the shoulder. “When was the second generation…”
Before he could finish, the elder looks at him with sternness and whispers; “Jericho and Achan for one.”
The asker’s eyes go wide and he sits back and drops his eyes to his lap.
Ezekiel continues on. “Our fathers rebelled against the Lord again when He brought them into the land. Under every broad hill and leafy tree, they set up altars to foreign gods. To this day, the people continue this practice. The Lord could have wiped us from the face of the earth again. But for His name’s sake, He scattered us to the winds and subjected us to our enemies.”
Ezekiel looks around at the men gathered before him. His face goes hard as he shares the Lord’s words for THIS generation. “And you, exiles in a foreign land, ‘Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you’ (Ezekiel 20:30-31).”
Ezekiel shakes his head in a DEFINITE NO. “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone’” (Ezekiel 20:32).
Ezekiel’s eyes close and the very voice of the Lord speaks through him.
“As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 20:33-44).
The elders eyes go wide as the Lord speaks through Ezekiel. They are trembling by the time Ezekiel falls silent. They quickly rise to their feet and hurry through the door. This is one message they will not soon forget.
The room is empty except for Ezekiel and the Lord. God has another task for Ezekiel.
“Son of man, set your face toward the southland; preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb. Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. All flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched” (Ezekiel 20:46-48).
Ezekiel stands up and moves to the door. He can see the last of the elders fleeing down the street. He shakes his head and says to the Lord; “Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not a maker of parables?’” (Ezekiel 20:49).
“Don’t worry about what man says. You do as I tell you. It is MY job to bring to pass all that you have spoken on My behalf.”
Ezekiel’s cheeks color is shame as he says; “Yes Lord. I will obey.”
(to be continued)
When I was thinking about how God talks to the elders, I was struck by the contrast from His precious words to them. In chapter 18 He says the EACH man will be responsible for the state of his own soul. That the children will not be judged by the sins of the fathers. But He recounts the sins of Israel’s fathers today.
Then I thought about Israel’s actions of the times. They are repeating the sins of their fathers, not turning from them. God says that over, and Over, and OVER AGAIN, Israel keeps doing the same things! He held His hand back the previous times, but this time, He is FED UP with their behavior. They haven’t learned ANYTHING from the past. (“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” Winston Churchill 1948).
Another thought keeps coming up in my spirit. Disciplining a child. God gave Israel chance after chance, but she didn’t change. His means of discipline had to get harsher and stronger to get her attention. Now, He is at the point of SERIOUS consequences. Not because He is mean or angry beyond words, but because all else has failed to turn her from her sins. “I’m not listening to you ‘I’m sorry’ again. THIS time, you are going to take your full punishment. Maybe you will finally learn something from it.”
Man hasn’t completely run out of chances. But the time is quickly approaching. Repent, and follow His word BEFORE He says; “Too little too late” to you. I can tell you from experience that it is easier to repent and STOP doing what you know is wrong than suffering the consequences. And to those who say; “It is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission” already KNOW the answer they would get. So, they are putting themselves right in the path of ‘the willow switch’.
Father God, I know that I have ‘repeated the past’ concerning a few issues. I PRAY that I have finally, or will soon, learn enough to NOT repeat them again! I don’t like having to ‘wander in the wilderness’ until I get it right. THANK YOU for Your mercy while I am learning! You could easily wipe me off the face of the earth. Yet, You give me mercy and forgiveness and allow the consequences of my actions to drive me back to where I’m supposed to be. Thank You for tempering those consequences too. I pray that I am at least taking more steps forward than I am taking backwards! Keep working on me Lord.
