Ezekiel 6-7 God’s Judgment
Ezekiel is with the exiles in Babylon. But in Jerusalem, the people are still chasing idols. God’s judgment is ready to fall on them.
The people of Israel have long been taken away. The people of Judah, and a remnant of Israel are all that remains in the land. They have seen the hand of God’s judgment already; but they don’t turn from their sins. God calls out judgment against them. Not because He is a hard ‘taskmaster’ but because of THEIR sin. What is coming is justly deserved!
Many of the prophets have called out to the people this warning. Those warnings were given by the prophets while in Israel and Judah. Ezekiel calls them out from his place among the exiles in Babylon. And God has him start by calling out against the “mountains” of Jerusalem. It is not the mountains that have sinned, but God’s people who have filled the mountains with sinful practices.
God then turns His eyes to the city and pronounces judgment on them; for THEIR deeds. Let’s rejoin Ezekiel in the land of Babylon and hear the Lord’s heart. Holy Spirit, PLEASE guide my walk today. Show me what You would have me take from this lesson. Open my heart to God’s words. Paint me a picture of the time of this prophecy.
Because of what the Spirit has opened my eyes to already, I need to back up a bit in time. We are going back to when Ezekiel is lying on the ground with the siege works spread before him. I believe that this is his location when he calls out these two warnings/prophecies. With this said, let’s get back to the story.
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Ezekiel readies his supplies to take up his position for the day. He will be lying on his left side, working towards the completion of the 390 days of judgment. This day starts like any other. The crowds have dwindled but Ezekiel will continue to call out, to any who will listen, the words of the Lord.
As Ezekiel is placing his food and water and preparing the place for his cooking, he hears the voice of the Lord speaking to him.
“Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols. And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out. And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 6:2-7).
Ezekiel turns towards the direction of Israel. He cannot see it from here, but he can see the mountains that he would have to cross to reach Jerusalem. He looks beyond these mountains and pictures the mountains of his homeland. He raises his voice and speaks all the words the Lord proclaimed against the mountains.
As he is calling out the Lord’s words, Ezekiel thinks of all his brothers left behind in Judah. His heart aches for them. Yet, he is happy that God is dealing with Judah’s idolatry. Conflict between the two pulls at his heart as God continues His message.
“Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the Lord. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them” (Ezekiel 6:8-10).
A sigh of relief fills Ezekiel’s lungs to know that God is sparing a portion of the people. And that the captives will return to the Lord and repent of their ways. He prays that he is alive to see this returning. “What a sight that will be Lord” whispers Ezekiel.
God has another directive for Ezekiel. “Clap your hands and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. Thus I will spend my fury upon them. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols. And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land desolate and waste, in all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to Riblah. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 6:11-14).
Ezekiel immediately stamps his feet and claps his hands. He loudly proclaims; “Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine.”
Those who have been watching Ezekiel this morning are stunned. This is not the same message he has been calling out against Jerusalem. It has the same elements, but its phrasing is different. And its scope is far reaching. “Could it reach us here in Babylon” many of the observers wonder. Their mouths drop open as Ezekiel finishes the last of this portion of the word of the Lord.
Thus I will spend my fury upon them. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols. And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land desolate and waste, in all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to Riblah. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Those listening cover their heads with their hands and quickly move away. They cannot bear to hear any more.
Ezekiel goes back to his preparations. Once everything is ready, he lies down again on his left side and moves the ‘siege works’ pieces around so that they assault the city of Jerusalem.
This change in Ezekiel’s message draws people back to viewing him. They wonder if he has another word to present from the Lord. For days they gather as Ezekiel calls out his original message as well as adds the new one from his position on the ground, until they again grow tired of hearing the same words.
The days of lying on his left side for Israel have passed. Not many days into his task of lying on his right side for the judgment of Israel, the Lord speaks to him again. This time, the Lord’s message comes to him as he gathers his belongings to return to his house for the night.
Ezekiel takes one more look around the place he occupies each day. Each night, he makes certain that all his daily belongings are picked up and that his ‘siege works’ is safely placed for the night. It never ceases to amaze him how God protects this display from vandals in the night and even from the weather.
Just as Ezekiel is turning to go into his house, the Lord speaks.
“And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 7:2-4).
Ezekiel stops in mid stride and contemplates the message of the Lord. It is an urgent message. “Does that mean that the end is VERY near” wonders Ezekiel.
“Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not space, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes” (Ezekiel 7:5-9).
The way the Lord started this portion, Ezekiel knows that he is to add this warning to the warnings he is already giving the people. “Is morning soon enough Lord, or do You want me to proclaim it now?”
Ezekiel doesn’t hear an answer to this question, but the Lord continues His message to His people.
“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them. The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitude. For the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life” (Ezekiel 7:10-13).
Ezekiel falls to his knees. “Has it happened already? Or is this still to come?” His heart hurts for Jerusalem He wonders how many are still alive this night.
“They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude. The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity. All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water. They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and baldness on all their heads. They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity. His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them. And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it. I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it” (Ezekiel 7:14-22).
Ezekiel breathes a little easier. The Lord’s words make it sound now as though the end is near, but has not fallen on the people yet. Ezekiel silently prays that they will hear His words and turn from their sins. “Is it too late, Lord, for the people to repent?”
“Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned. When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders. The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 7:23-27).
Ezekiel drops his head and mourns for his people. “They have brought this on themselves” he says through his tears. “I will add these words of warning to those You have me sharing with Your people, Lord. I can do nothing more than that for them. The rest is in your hands.”
The next morning when Ezekiel steps from his house, he immediately shares the words from the Lord that he received the night before. Many of the people send for confirmation from the people they left behind. Confirmation that Jerusalem hasn’t yet fallen. That there is still time for them to repent.
Ezekiel takes his usual place. He knows in his heart that nothing short of what the Lord has promised will bring his people back to God. He wonders how many more days they have left too. “Will Jerusalem fall the same day my message of the siege ends” Ezekiel asks God. When he doesn’t hear an answer, he realizes that not having an answer isn’t really important. “The Lord will tell me what I need to know, when I need to know it. I trust You Lord God. Do with Your people as You will.”
(to be continued)
After looking at several chapters of Ezekiel, I have realized that I am going to have to do some serious reordering of events. I will do this when I put it together for publication. Let me just quickly give you what I have discovered. 1) Ezekiel is 30 years old when God calls him (Ezekiel 1:1). 2) There is only one year and two months between his original vision and the one where he is taken to Jerusalem (still to come in chapter 8-11), leading me to one of three conclusions (so far): Ezekiel was sitting with the elders in his home after one of his days of ‘siege work’ was finished, Ezekiel switched between Jewish and Gregorian calendars, or the ‘siege time’ occurred after the Jerusalem vision. 3) The visions of today probably happened during his ‘siege time’. 4) Ezekiel cut his hair when initially given the instructions for the siege year, as in the vision for Jerusalem, he is picked up by his hair and taken to Jerusalem in the vision (this gave him a year to regrow some hair).
I’m also wondering if this ‘siege time’ possibly happened after the Jerusalem vision. Reason being, even if using leap year, there isn’t the required time between the first vision and the Jerusalem vision. The siege enactment is 430 days long. Regular years Jewish years are 353, 354, or 355 days long. Leap years are 383, 384, or 385 days long. For a regular year, there are 15-17 days too many to go from the two specified dates, and a leap year 13-15 days short. Using the Gregorian calendar, it is 5 days too many, or 4 for a leap year.
I’m sure there will be other changes, but these are what I have noticed so far.
Father God, our world is spiraling too. I KNOW the end is coming, but not the timing or exact order of things. When it is time, I won’t have to worry that I somehow missed the signs. Those final pieces will be unmistakable for those who have put their trust in You. For those still wondering, they will have an opportunity to make things right with You. But it WON’T be easy!
Help me ‘finish strong’ Lord in all that You have yet for me to do. I don’t want to be found chasing after other gods. Not even silver or gold. They mean NOTHING compared to You!
