Chapter 1

(Verses 1 through 3)  Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

Since Jehoiachin was among the first of the captives carried away to Babylon, and in verse 2 Ezekiel says that this vision took place “in the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, one can only wonder to what he refers when, in verse 1, he says, “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year.” Nevertheless, he does tell us what took place. “The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.” We have been told that the river Chebar was a large canal that had been cut between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.

(Verses 4 through 14) And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof  came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings, and their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another, they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man , and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: wither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

This is a text that confuses many people, because there are many who think that every thing in the scriptures must be “spiritualized.” So they begin to try to imagine what these living creatures represent, and nowhere in the Bible is there anything that will tell us what they might represent. And, actually, there are no other “living creatures” mentioned in scripture that are exactly like these. Some have tried to equate them with the “four beasts” (living creatures) of Revelation, chapter four. But a little study will show that this is not the case. The first thing we notice is that those in Revelation have six wings each, while these have only four each. Then we see that these have four faces each, while those have only one, though each has a different face from another. Also there is no mention made of any appearance of fire, or lightning, or the colour of amber in those, while this is an outstanding part of the description of these. Some have said that these are the same as the cherubim whose likeness was made on the ends of the mercy seat. But here, again, we cannot be sure, because the description of the cherubim is not given in enough detail to prove the point. The only thing with which we are left in this matter is that the appearance of the fire, the colour of amber, and the lightning seem to indicate that the glory of the LORD is what is being shown to Ezekiel. And it is being shown in such a manner that he will be fully assured that the vision given to him is of the LORD.

(Verses 15 through 25) Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, (or rims,) they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched over their heads above.. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

Ezekiel continues with his description of the vision that was given him at this time. We are to remember that he has said, in verse 1, “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” So the things that he saw, as well as some of the things of which he later speaks as done by him, are to be considered as things that did not take place in reality, but only in a visionary way. However, this does not in any wise lessen the truth of the messages that he will set forth. In his vision at this time, there seemed to be something mechanical that was also an integral part of that which was a living creature. With each living creature there was a wheel of enormous size. And each of those wheels seemed to be an integral part of the living creature to which it pertained, and had the spirit of the living creature within it. The wheel and the living creature moved in perfect unison. Apparently these all came to rest in a position that had above them “the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads.”  He then gives a description of the position in which they stood, and tells us that when they moved, the noise of their wings was as the noise of great waters, “as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host; when they stood, they let down their wings.” Those who want to “spiritualize” this can say what they wish about it; but it seems that its only significance is that it was shown to Ezekiel for the purpose of assuring him that this is a vision from the Almighty God, and not just something he may have dreamed up. For in it appear most of the elements that have in other places been described when the glory of the LORD has appeared.

(Verses 26 through 28) And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Thus Ezekiel finishes his description of what he saw as this vision was opened to him. Above the firmament that was over the heads of the living creatures there appeared to be a throne with one seated upon it. He gives us the description of the one seated thereupon, except that he never says anything about His face. This is, of course, in perfect accord with what the LORD told Moses in Exodus 33:20. “Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me and live.” As he completes the description of this appearance, Ezekiel says, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So we can be fully assured that this is the principal message of all the things he has described in this chapter. All these things make up the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD, and are for the purpose of impressing upon Ezekiel that this vision is of the LORD. When Ezekiel saw this, he fell upon his face. Then he heard the voice of one that spoke. Heretofore there has been no spoken message in the vision.

(Verses 1 through 5) And He said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me.. And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel , to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me: they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

This is God’s call to Ezekiel that he is to be a prophet to the house of Israel . And it sets forth, at the outset, the hardest part of  the work of a prophet, or even of a gospel minister. The LORD’S people have always been a rebellious people. This was true of Israel ; and it is true of the gospel church today. Witness how many different organizations there are today who say, “We are THE CHURCH. We are holding fast to the doctrines and practices that were given by our Lord Jesus to His apostles, and our church has held fast to them even to the present time.” Yet, at the same time, any honest survey of that organization and the Bible will find many points of difference. And if one is faithful to the LORD in his ministry, and makes no deviation to allow what the members want, he will find the vast majority of those who profess to be servants of God turning away, and ignoring both him and his message.. But the LORD told Ezekiel that even if they ignored his message, and turned away from him, they would know that a prophet had been among them.

(Verses 6 through 8) And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak My words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat what I give thee.

We notice a phrase often used in addressing Ezekiel, that might cause some to wonder. That phrase is, “Son of man.” This is not to be confused with this same title often used in The New Testament, concerning our Lord Jesus. In the case of Ezekiel, it is not used to try to equate him with our Lord Jesus, but simply as a member of the race of Adam, and, in the work of this prophecy, God’s representative to men. The LORD instructs him to have no fear of those to whom He is sending him, no matter how hard these try to make his life, or how much they rebel against the word of the LORD. And He tells him to not be rebellious like those to whom he is being sent. Then He commands him to open his mouth, and eat what He is giving him.

(Verses 9 and 10) And when I had looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and He spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Keep always in mind that this is a vision, not an actual occurrence, that Ezekiel is seeing. So, although it may seem strange that he is commanded to eat a scroll, strange things, and sometimes impossible things are done in visions. For with God all things are possible. Although he had been commanded, before receiving it, to eat it, time is taken to unroll it, and spread it out so that Ezekiel can see what are its contents. They are “lamentations, and mourning, and woe.” So this is by no means a pleasant book.

(Verses 1 through 3) Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel . So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that roll. And He said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. And I did eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

Ezekiel was here commanded to “eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel .” (This very much reminds us of the experience of John, as recorded in Revelation 10: 8-11, except that nothing is here said about the book’s causing Ezekiel’s stomach to be bitter, and here he is commanded to go and speak to the house of Israel instead of many nations, as was John.) Men have many times said that this does not mean that Ezekiel was actually to eat the book, but to read it with great concentration, for when people do this they are often said to eat, or devour, a book. However, although that might be the symbolic meaning of his eating it, this was all in a vision, and therefore, no doubt, in the vision he was commanded to eat the book, and did eat it. He was also to completely digest it. And when he did this, it was sweet as honey in his mouth. All of this is part of the preparation the LORD is giving him for his mission to the house of Israel .

(Verses 4 through 11) And He said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel , and speak with My words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel ; Not to many people of a strange language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee unto them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto Me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, all My words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

Notice that up to this point the LORD has not given Ezekiel any message to deliver to the children of Israel . He has only been preparing Ezekiel for what he will find when he does speak to them. And because of that, He has put upon him a hardness that will withstand the treatment they will lay upon him. He declares that if He had sent Ezekiel to a people of a strange language, so that it would be hard for him to communicate with them, they would pay heed to what he said. But the language of both him and the house of Israel is such that there is no barrier or difficulty of understanding between them. Yet, and, perhaps, for this very reason, they will not hearken to him. But the principal reason why they will not heed him is that they will not heed the LORD. So the LORD warns him that they will not hearken to him: but He sends him to them nevertheless. So we can logically come to only one conclusion concerning this matter. That is that He is sending Ezekiel, not in an attempt to save them, but to be a witness against them.

(Verses 12 through 15) Then the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from His place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and the noise of a great rushing. The Spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, for the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the rtver Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

In chapter 1, verse 1, Ezekiel says he was “among the captives by the river Chebar.” Here he says, “the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away.” But in verse 15 he says, “Then came I to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river Chebar.” So, he is now back where he was at the beginning of this vision. However, when the Spirit lifted him up to take him away, he heard a voice of great power such as a mighty rush of wind or water, behind him, declaring, “Blessed be the glory of the LORD from this place.” Then as the wings of the living creatures, and the wheels began to move, he heard the sound of a mighty rushing. The hand of the LORD was so heavy upon him at this time that he was in great bitterness, and heat of spirit. When he returned to the captives that dwelt by the river, he said and did nothing but sit completely astonished among them for seven days. One must keep in mind that everything so far shown to Ezekiel is only a part of his vision; and this apparently continues on through chapter 4, and is all designed to prepare Ezekiel for his ministry to Judah and Israel as a prophet of the LORD. All these things are done only in a visionary way, not necessarily in reality.

(Verses 16 through 21) And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel : therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

This is the LORD’S warning to Ezekiel, and it should, no doubt, be considered as applying even to a gospel minister today. It needs no comment, so far as explanation is concerned. But it does lay upon the servant of God an awesome responsibility. In this day of men who claim to be gospel ministers, and are at the same time, telling people that the Bible is nothing more than a book of legends, and that we are to take only the parts of it that we think are appropriate for us, and cast aside the rest, what can we expect but to receive the judgments of God in His wrath?

(Verses 22 and 23) And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and He said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and there I will talk with thee. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar: and I fell on my face.

Now the LORD, in the vision, commands Ezekiel to go forth into the plain, and He will continue His talk with him. This Ezekiel does. And there he sees the same wonderful vision of the glory of the LORD he had seen at the beginning of this vision. He was so affected thereby that he fell upon his face before it.

(Verses 24 through 27) Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; he that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

Notice that in all of this there is nothing said about Ezekiel’s doing these things that the LORD commands. They are only the instructions God is giving him for his conduct when He shall send him with a message to Israel . The LORD tells him that the Israelites will put bands upon him, and bind him with them. When they do this he is not to reprove them, but to be completely dumb concerning such, until the LORD gives him a message. Then he is to declare it as the word of the LORD, And he is to tell them that God has said, “He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear.” The LORD also tells him that the reason for this message is that they are a rebellious house.

(Verses 1 through 3) Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: and lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall between thee and the city: and set thy face against it that, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel .

These are instructions to Ezekiel as to what he is to do when he goes to his house. He is to take a tile, draw upon it a picture of Jerusalem , and set up all the necessary war machines against it. Then he is to set an iron pan between it and himself. This is to show the condition of Jerusalem . Since this is during the siege of Jerusalem , it is to portray that siege and the fact that the LORD has turned His face away from Jerusalem , and will let her be destroyed. The iron pan, set up between Ezekiel and the picture of the city, shows that God will have no mercy upon Jerusalem until the appointed time.

(Verses 4 through 8) Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel . And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. Therefore shalt thou set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem , and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

 In this we find that Ezekiel tells us that the LORD commanded him to portray the siege of Jerusalem , and to lie on his left side for three hundred and ninety days to “bear the iniquity of Israel ” for that length of time, with each day representing a year. Then he was to lie on his right side for forty days, representing a year by each day, and thus bearing the iniquity of Judah for that length of time. This timing seems to be somewhat difficult to reconcile. Since, in the first verse of this book, Ezekiel has told us that it was in the thirtieth year, though not of what, we, so we are therefore unable to use it as a reference point. He does tell us also that this was in the fifth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin. However, this would not tell us either the beginning or the end of the duration of the iniquity of either Israel or Judah ..Nevertheless, for whatever purpose, these are the days he was to lie on his sides to represent the years “of their iniquity.” However, although these are the instructions given to Ezekiel, there is no record of their being carried out. So, perhaps it is all only a part of his vision with no literal fulfillment, and is only to prepare him for his work as a prophet. The LORD does tell him, “I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.” Some of this may very well look forward to the conditions in Israel that brought on the great dispersion of the Jews, and the destruction of the temple by the Roman army in 70 AD, as well as to the siege that was then in progress, because after the rebuilding of the temple at the end of the Babylonian captivity, and even after Herod had made such a glorious building of it, the Jews continued to act in such a way that it was destroyed, and has not yet been rebuilt.

(Verses 9 through 17) Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then He said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem : and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: that they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

This is certainly clear enough to be easily understood, but, according to Josephus, what Ezekiel was commanded to do is exactly what took place during the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman army in 70 AD. Of course, it was also true in the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head, and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel .

The hair that Ezekiel was to shave off and weigh, is to represent the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the day of her destruction. A third of them are to be burned with fire, (or utterly destroyed by the wrath of God.) Another third are to be cut down by the sword. And the remnant are to be scattered; and even they shall be followed by the sword, and persecuted thereby. A few were to be bound up in his skirt, as if to save them. And then, even from them, some are to be taken, and cast into the fire to burn them, that from them shall come forth a fire to devour more of the house of Israel . If we examine history, we find that that has been the history of the Jews ever since the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and his army. Even today, although the nation of Israel has been recognized for about a half of a century, most nations of the world are still against her. And her situation will be made worse before it gets better; but it will get better, because the LORD has promised to restore Jerusalem , and His word cannot fail.

(Verses 5 through 11) Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem : I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed My judgments into wickedness  more than the nations, and My statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused My judgments and My statutes, they have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in My statutes, neither have kept My judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled My sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither will Mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

Here the LORD declares, “This is Jerusalem .” That is, this is what will be done to Jerusalem . And since this is spoken in the present tense, and follows on in the future, concerning what shall be done to her, it seems to be looking to the great destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Because, even though God caused the Babylonians to release the Jews from captivity, and let them go back to Jerusalem and rebuild both the city and the temple, the Jews very soon fell back into their evil ways, so that God again destroyed the temple and the city. He declares that He set her there “in the midst of the nations and the countries round about her.” The manner in which this statement is made indicates that He has done this for the purpose of showing to the world His power and glory. Also, when we study the history of Israel , as He brought them out of Egypt , led them to the land of Canaan , drove out the other nations before them, and established them in that land, we see that that is exactly His purpose in so doing. Surely, someone will say that if that was His purpose, He made a great mistake, for He has now determined to tear them down, and almost obliterate them. However, He does not think or act as does man. His ways are as high above the ways of man as are the heavens above the earth. While His bringing the Israelites into the land of Canaan and establishing them indeed shows His power to protect His own, His bringing destruction upon them shows to all the world that He is also able to bring upon them proper judgment. And thus His power is made known to all the world. If He were going to destroy all of them eternally, one might be tempted to think that He had failed. But the fact remains that He reserves a remnant, as shown by the few hairs that Ezekiel was to bind in his skirt. And although, for several chapters in this prophecy, we seem to find little, if anything, concerning that remnant, He later declares very forcefully that they will be restored. The destruction that is here declared is simply chastisement for the sins of Israel and Jerusalem . Jerusalem has done worse than the nations and countries round about her, in that “she hath changed My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused My judgments and My statutes, they have not walked in them.” It is because of this that He will not anymore protect them against these other nations and countries; but He “will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.” He will bring them so low that the fathers will eat their own sons, and the sons will eat their own fathers. This is, of course, a most horrible situation. But, according to some historians, it actually did take place during the siege of Jerusalem by Titus and the Roman army, and may also have taken place during the siege of the Babylonians. The LORD declares that it is “because thou hast defiled My sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither will Mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.”

(Verses 12 through 17) A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I shall draw out a sword after them. Thus shall Mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken in My zeal, when I have accomplished My fury in them. Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by. So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction, and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: so will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

Verse 12 explains exactly what is meant by the dividing of the hair in verse 2, while the remainder of this text describes the awful judgments that will be sent upon Jerusalem by the LORD. They are all so well described that there is no need for explanation. The LORD declares that these things will come exactly as prophesied, because He has spoken it. And we can always rely upon this in anything He has spoken; it cannot fail whether it be a promise of blessing, or a promise of chastisement.

Chapter 6

(Verses 1 through 7) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars. In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste, and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Verses 2 through 4 are directed to the mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys of Israel , which, obviously means to the inhabitants of those places; for, as the LORD speaks, in verse 5, of the children of Israel , He changes the address to them instead of the mountains, etc. At the time this prophecy was given to Ezekiel the calamities of which He speaks had already begun to come upon Jerusalem . It can describe the desolation that the Babylonians would bring upon Jerusalem , or the  destruction that would be brought on by the Romans; or both. Most likely, it embraces the latter, because the remainder of what is described in this chapter seems to more closely fit the things that were done at that time. In fact, the last clause of verse 7 seems to still await fulfillment; for as yet, the Jews seem not to know that He is the LORD.

(Verses 8 through 10) Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations whither they shall be scattered through the countries. And they that escape of you shall remember Me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from Me, and their eyes, which go a-whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

Notice that the outstanding thing in this text is the promise that GOD will leave them a remnant. But, at the same time, He will bring upon them all these evils until they are brought to know that, not only is He GOD, but also that He does not threaten in vain. He will perform what He has promised.

(Verses 11 through 14) Thus saith the Lord GOD: Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the abominations of the house of Israel ! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish My fury upon them. Then shall ye know that I am the LORD, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols. So will I stretch out My hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

When the LORD told Ezekiel, “Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot,” it was that he might do everything possible to draw the attention of the Israelites to what he was going to say to them. And the message is that “they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.” He them explained that these calamities would not only come upon those who were near, but also upon those afar off. One outstanding example of that that would come upon those who were far off is the great holocaust of the World War II era. We do not know how much longer these troubles for the Jews will go on. But they will continue until the day in which our Lord Jesus shall descend from heaven , stand upon the mount of Olives, and fight the great battle for them, thus destroying all their enemies. Then only will they be, as a people, brought to know that He is the LORD.

(Verses 1 through 7) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel ; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send Mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. And Mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD, An evil, an only evil, behold, is come. An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come. The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.

It seems to me that, when reading this prophecy, we must keep in mind that when the LORD says, “The time is come,” or “The end is come,” we are not to think that it necessarily means that what He declares is to take place immediately, according to our counting of time, but that this thing has come to the point that there is nothing left that will hinder, or prevent it. Whatever event He has declared will come to pass at His appointed time without fail. This certainly seems to be the meaning here; for the things He here declares seem to actually be what took place at the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem by the Romans. At that time He did bring desolation upon them, and scatter them among all nations. And to this day He has not completely re-gathered them, although the nation of Israel has been set up for over fifty years. We must remember that when this prophecy was given to Ezekiel , Israel had long before been overcome and scattered by the Assyrians, and Judah and Jerusalem were under siege by the Babylonians, so that even at the giving of this word of the LORD to Ezekiel he was among the captives by the river Chebar, in the land of Babylon . After this captivity ended, they were permitted to return to Judah , and rebuild both the temple and Jerusalem . So their next great dispersion was by the Romans. Perhaps, the greatest lesson we can learn from this is the one given by the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:18-21. “Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well: because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standeth by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.”

(Verses 8 through 11) Now will I shortly pour out My fury upon thee, and accomplish Mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. And Mine eyes shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth. Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.

We should notice that though the LORD declares all this great judgment upon Israel, he says that it is all that they, the remnant that shall be left, shall know that He is the LORD Who has smitten them, thus signifying that it is only the wicked among them of whom He speaks, when He says, “Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be any wailing for them. As we have before stated, this will not be completed until the return of our Lord in judgment.

(Verses 12 through 15) The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for My wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.

This seems to be a very clear description of the conditions that existed in Jerusalem during the siege by Titus and his army. As we have already mentioned, this can very well describe what was done during the siege by the Babylonians, or it looks forward to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. And it can, very well, refer to both. So when it came to pass, those who sold their possessions were not to mourn, and think that they would losing  anything by selling them; for they were not going to come back to their land. Neither were they who bought such to rejoice, because they were not going to remain there to enjoy what they had purchased. As we continue on, we shall find that the LORD promised to restore a remnant. But the ones who actually were carried away would not return. During these terrible times that were coming upon them their condition would be as described in verse 15. “The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.

(Verses 16 through 19) But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads. They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither shall they fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

Even though this great calamity is to come upon them, and will destroy almost all of them, a few will be permitted to escape. But they shall be scattered as doves of the valley might be scattered upon the mountains when driven out of the valley in which they had been living. The expression, “ all of them mourning, every one of them for his iniquity,” seems to indicate not that they are repenting of their iniquity, but simply mourning because of what their iniquity has brought upon them. (Even today they seem, for the greater part, to have no repentance from their sin of demanding the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. And there is no indication in scripture that they ever will, until He returns, and stands upon the mount of Olives in the day of battle.) When dispersed by the great battle which Ezekiel here describes, they will have no strength, and will be in mourning for the loss of their city and their temple. They will be brought to great shame. They will find that neither their gold nor their silver can deliver them from this destruction. They will have nothing with which to satisfy either their souls or their bodies. All will be gone. For this is the day of the wrath of the LORD. It may be that as The LORD speaks of their silver and their gold not being able to deliver them, He is directing this statement more toward their idols which were made of silver and gold, than toward their wealth.

(Verses 20 through 22) As for the beauty of His ornament, He set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them. And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it. My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute My secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.

Do not be confused by the change from the third person to the first person in verse 20. It simply means that the LORD did set Jerusalem (and especially His temple) in majesty. In fact the magnificence of the temple is what caused Titus to continue his siege for such a long time before ordering his soldiers to storm the city, and even destroy it all. Yet, although God had set Jerusalem in such majesty, the Jews had made therein their idols and images of detestable things, and for this reason He took it away, “set it far,” from them. He also gave it into the hands of strangers, and turned His face away, while they polluted His secret place. Thus He permitted the robbers to enter into it, and defile it.

(Verses 23 through 27) Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence. Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled. Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Here the LORD calls for a chain to be made. It is, evidently, for the purpose of binding those upon whom His judgments are to come, that they may not escape. The reason for this is that “the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.” He will bring the worst of the heathen, and make them possess the houses of those who were inhabiting them. All the strong shall be destroyed, and their holy places defiled. When this destruction comes the people will seek peace, but none will be found.  They will even seek a vision of the prophet, “But the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.” Nowhere can they find an answer to their problems. Everyone from the king to the common people shall be in great trouble; for the LORD will deal with them according to their deserts. “And they shall know that I am the LORD.” This does not necessarily mean that they will immediately come to this knowledge, but the LORD will continue His judgments upon them until they do come to it.

Chapter 8

(Verses 1 through 4) And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before Me, that the hand of the LORD fell upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of His loins even downward, fire; and from His loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And He put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Since Ezekiel tells us that this came to pass in the sixth year, but does not say the sixth year of what, but in Chapter 1, verse 2, he says that was in “the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, we might assume this to be according to the same point of time reference. At this time he was sitting in his house, with the elders of Judah sitting before him. At this time the hand of God was laid upon him, and he was lifted up by the Spirit, and brought “in the visions of God to Jerusalem .” There have been some arguments as to whether He was actually physically transported by the Spirit to Jerusalem , or just given a vision of such. His language seems to indicate that he was only given a vision of this. But either way matters little, if at all, to us. What is of value to us is the vision he saw. In this vision he was carried to Jerusalem , to a door of the inner gate that looked toward the north. At this gate there was the seat of an idol, the image of jealousy, “which provoketh to jealousy.” Since the LORD has declared Himself to be a jealous God, we would think that Ezekiel’s statement, “which provoketh to jealousy,” would mean that by it God is provoked to jealousy. The glory of the LORD was there just as Ezekiel had seen it in the plain. See Chapter 3, verse 23.

(Verses 5 and 6) Then said He unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abomination that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from My sanctuary? But turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

The LORD calls Ezekiel’s attention to this great image of jealousy that has been set up at the north gate near the altar; which certainly indicates that the people were offering, or were intending to offer, sacrifices to it. It would seem that this would be enough to cause the LORD to go completely away from Jerusalem . But there is much more to come as the vision continues. The Lord even tells Ezekiel that he will see greater abominations than these.

(Verses 7 through 12) And He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. Then He said unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door. And He said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw: and, behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel , portrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood before them seventy of the ancients of Israel , and in the midst of them stood Jaaziniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

Although Ezekiel has not mentioned the temple, but only Jerusalem, we can still be sure that the place where he was when he saw the vision of the image of jealousy is the court of the temple, and it was the wall of the temple in which he was commanded to dig, and in which he found the door that led into the secret place of the chamber of imagery in which were the ancients of Israel offering incense to their images. They had so turned away from the LORD that they thought He had forsaken the earth, and therefore could not see them in their idolatry. We sometimes wonder, as we hear the many different ideas that men try to set forth concerning the scriptures, if the church today has not become as bad as was Israel at the time of this vision.

(Verses 13 and 14) He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Someone will surely say, “What a terrible thing to do! These were in the court of the LORD’S house, at the gate toward the north. And they were weeping for Tammuz. We surely would never do such” However, it is done at least once each year by most so called “ Christian Churches .” Tammuz was the sun god of several of the heathen tribes in the middle east. He is their equivalent to the Roman sun god, Apollo, or Saturn. On the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, he was supposed to die; and as the days began to grow longer, he was supposed to revive. The date of the great celebration of his revival was December 25, just as was the feast of Saturnalia. The pope who established “Christmas” openly declared that he selected December 25 as “Christmas” because it was the feast of Saturnalia, and he thought by making a “Christian” holiday on that date he would entice more of the pagans to accept the “Christian religion.” It is still a pagan holiday, in spite of his edict; and should never be celebrated by true Christians. A study of the gospel records of the birth of the Christ will show that the LORD very carefully hid the date of His birth to prevent the very thing that so many are doing to this day. In fact, men cannot even pinpoint the year in which Jesus was born, much less the month and day. Celebrating “Christmas” amounts to the same thing as “weeping for Tammuz.” And when He showed it to Ezekiel, the LORD called it an abomination.

(Verses 15 and 16) Then said He unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Here we find another abomination that is today practiced by many who claim to be Christians, that of the Easter sunrise service. The gospel records leave no doubt that our Lord Jesus arose before sunrise on the day of His resurrection. Those who came and found the tomb empty arrived before sunrise; but He was already arisen. So the sunrise service is somewhat late. It was adopted from the sun worship of the pagans, and not from the teachings of our Lord or His apostles, and is therefore idolatry, just as is the celebration of Christmas. While it is true that His crucifixion and His resurrection were at the season that is called “Easter,” the very word, “Easter,” is derived from “Astarte,” the name of the Pagan goddess of spring. It appears only once in the KJV of the Bible, and is there an incorrect translation of the Greek word, “pascha,” which is everywhere else in scripture translated “Passover.”

(Verses 17 and 18) Then He said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke Me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

Having shown Ezekiel all these abominations that were being committed by the house of Judah , the LORD asks a question, “Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here?” This question seems to indicate that the house of Judah does consider it a light thing; but not so with the LORD. He considers it sufficient cause to provoke Him to anger. As we so often hear the expression today, they are doing this “in His face,” and that calls for drastic action. He declares that He will deal in fury. He will spare none, and have pity on none. And even if they should cry in His ears with a loud voice, He will not hear them. Although the abominations that have been shown to Ezekiel are the cause of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, they are also the cause of Judah ’s captivity at the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy. By his being shown these, he can understand why Judah is in captivity at that time. For they have always been a rebellious and gainsaying people. And only at the time of the final restoration of Judah and Israel will this characteristic be taken away from them

Chapter 9

(Verses 1 through 4) He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon He was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Hers we see the LORD’S preparations for the judgment He will bring upon Jerusalem because of all the abominations thereof. He calls forth seven men, six of them with their slaughter weapons in their hands, and one with a writer’s inkhorn by his side. Then He commands the one with the inkhorn to go forth in the city, and place a mark in the forehead of every man that sighs, or cries for all the abominations that are being done. This shows a principle that always is found in God’s bringing judgment upon sinners. Remember that in Sodom the angel told Lot to hasten to the city of refuge granted to him, “for,” said he, “I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.” And so it always is when judgment is poured out. In II Thess. 1:7-10, the Apostle Paul says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in all His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” He always protects His own.

(Verses 5 through 7) And to the others He said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and began at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And He said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

Having ordered the marking of His own, the LORD commanded the men who were to be the executioners to go forth in the city, and slay every man woman and child, except those who had received His mark in their foreheads. No mercy was to be shown to anyone else. These men were commanded even to defile the house, (the temple,) and fill the courts with the slain. They began their work with the ancient men who were before the house, those who had been worshipping the sun toward the east, and they went throughout the city with their slaughter. We today often hear someone say that the LORD is such a loving God that He will not bring such calamities as storms, earthquakes, and other natural disasters upon people. Consider what He showed Ezekiel in this vision. And at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem , He brought just such a great catastrophe upon those in the city.

(Verses 8 through 11) And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem ? Then said He unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. And as for Me also, Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as Thou hast commanded me.

Ezekiel was so overcome by what was being done that he fell upon his face before the LORD, and asked Him, “Wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem ?” The LORD gave no answer, in words, to this question, but He had already ordered the executioners to not come near any who had the mark on his forehead. But, so far as all others were concerned, He declared that He would neither spare nor show pity to any, but because their iniquity was so great, He would recompense their way upon their head. They would get exactly what they deserved. At this time the man who had been sent to mark all who sighed and cried for the abominations that had been going on returned, and reported that he had done according to the commandment the LORD had given him.

(Verses 1 through 7) And I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in my sight. Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory. And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaketh. And it came to pass, that when He had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

Again Ezekiel describes to us the glory of the LORD as he saw it at this time. It is essentially the same as he has before described it. Now the man who had been entrusted with the work of marking those whom the LORD would spare in the city is ordered to go in between the wheels, under the cherubim, and take a handful of coals of fire, and scatter them over the city. So accordingly he went in, and stood beside the wheels. Whereupon one of the cherubim took a handful of the coals of fire, and put them in his hand. He took the coals, and went out.

(Verses 8 through 15) And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances,  they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar.

This is a continuation of the description of the glory of the LORD as Ezekiel saw it at this time. And, although there can be seen some minor differences between this and the description given in Chapter 1, he tells us, in verse 15, “This is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar. So there is no need to inquire into these differences.

(Verses 16 through 19) And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels turned not from beside them. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

Ezekiel continues his description of the glory of the LORD. Then, in verse 18 “the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. Notice that in verse 4, “the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house.” This signifies that it is about to leave this house. This was the house God had had Solomon build for Him, as a place where His name should be, He is now, because of the abominations of Israel and Judah , preparing to leave. In verse 18, His glory leaves the threshold again, and returns to its place above the cherubim. Then, with the glory of the LORD above them, the cherubim, and, of course, the wheels also, mounted up from the earth, and went out of the temple, and stood “at the door of the east gate of the house (temple). Thus the glory of the LORD prepared to completely abandon the temple.

(Verses 20 through 22) This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims. Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hand of a man was under their wings. And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

There is little here that seems to warrant comment. Ezekiel is simply declaring that this that he has here seen of the glory of the LORD is the same as that he saw by the river Chebar.

(Verses 1 through 3) Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD’S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. Then said He unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city: which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.

Ezekiel was brought by the Spirit to the east gate of the temple court, where he saw twenty-five men of the princes, or leaders, of the people. Then the LORD told him that these were the very men who by their evil counsel would bring on the captivity of Judah . In reading the prophecy of Jeremiah, we find that during Babylon ’s siege of Jerusalem , the leaders of Jerusalem kept saying that the LORD would not permit such a great calamity to come upon them. This they maintained until the city had completely fallen, and the king and the people were taken into captivity. There were some in Jerusalem when Titus and his army had it under siege who said the same things. And today, if one mentions anything about the judgment of the LORD being ready to come upon us, and especially if we mention that our Lord Jesus may soon return to bring judgment upon the world, we are laughed to scorn, just as was our Saviour when He told the mourners at the house of Jairus to give place for the maid sleepeth.

(Verses 4 through 12) Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man. And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel : for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel ; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in My statutes, neither executed My judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.

The LORD commands Ezekiel to prophesy against the people of Jerusalem , and causes His Spirit to fall upon him to add force to the prophecy. The first thing he is to tell them is that the LORD knows not only what they have said, but even what has come into their minds. (And this is something we need to keep always in mind. We cannot hide either our words or thoughts from Him.) Then He tells them that inasmuch as they have “multiplied your slain in this city, and have filled the streets thereof with the slain,” the reality shall not be as the saying they have been using. They have said, “This city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.” They had realized that the city was being destroyed, but they had resolved to fight to the death in the city. But the LORD said, “Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it , they shall be the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.” His bringing them out of the city was not to be to deliver them from destruction, but to send them into captivity. They had feared the sword, but they thought they would never go into captivity. Yet the LORD declared that He would indeed send the sword upon them, but they would also be taken captive. Thus He says, “This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in My statutes, neither executed My judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.” The Jews would much rather have died than be taken captive by the Babylonians. And that was the meaning of their saying concerning being the flesh in the caldron. They intended to fight to the death. But the LORD had other plans. This was also true concerning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

(Verses 13 through 16) And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel ? Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

When Ezekiel delivered the prophecy as he was commanded, Pelatiah, who has been previously mentioned as one of the princes of the people, died. This so upset Ezekiel that he fell down on his face before the LORD, and asked the LORD if he was going to destroy all the remnant of Israel. Whereupon the LORD gave him an answer. First He told him that his brethren and kindred were those whom all the house of Israel had told to get away from the LORD. Of course, since Ezekiel was a priest, his brethren and his kindred were the priests. But the rest of the house of Israel had tried to drive them away from the LORD. They thought the land was given them as their possession, and the priests had no part in it. And what is more to the point, they did not want the priests trying to tell them anything concerning the laws of God. Nevertheless the LORD declares, “Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Since, in verse 15, He mentions “all the house of Israel wholly,” and in verse 16, “although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come,” this seems to look forward to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD as much as to be  concerning the Babylonian siege and destruction of Jerusalem.

(Verses 17 through 21) Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel . And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh: that they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.

This is a promise of the re-gathering of Israel that looks beyond, not only the end of the Babylonian captivity, but also beyond the present day. It is that final restoration of Israel that is so often set forth in the prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah, as well as others. At the return from the Babylonian captivity, a few of the Jews were indeed given that “heart of flesh” here promised. But many of them still maintained their evil ways. Even during the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus, the Jews, and especially the Pharisees, maintained their traditions as more important than the commandments of God, as He so often reminded them. But there is a day of restoration promised to Israel , in which all these things shall be done. However, those who continue to walk “after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations” shall be destroyed.

(Verses 22 and 23) Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

Having finished giving this prophecy to Ezekiel, the LORD caused his glory, as Ezekiel had been seeing it, to rise up from the midst of the city, Jerusalem , and go and stand upon the mountain that stands on the east of the city, thus signifying that He has finished with Jerusalem for the present.

(Verses 24 and 25) Afterwards the Spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea , to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.

All these things Ezekiel had seen and done in Jerusalem were only in a vision. So in the vision he was carried by the Spirit of God back to Chaldea , and the vision “went up from” him. That is, it was ended. So He told the Jews of the captivity: all the things that the LORD had shown him in that vision.

(Verses 1 through 7) The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel . And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with Mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

This passage needs no explanation until we come to the explanation given by the LORD, which is shortly to come. It is enough to say at this point that it concerns events that took place when the Babylonians took Jerusalem . We are to remember that this was in the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, and he was among the first of the captives to be carried to Babylon .

(Verses 8 through 16) And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, Son of man, hath not the house of Israel , the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD: This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem , and all the house of Israel that are among them. Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes. My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The LORD commanded Ezekiel to tell the rebellious house of Israel the meaning of this “burden,” or sign that he had enacted. He was a sign to them to show them just what would be done at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The Babylonians made a proposal to the people of Jerusalem that if they would surrender peacefully, the city would not be destroyed. But their king, Zedekiah, and some of his followers attempted to slip out of Jerusalem in the night, and make their getaway. However, the army of the Babylonians caught them in the plains of Jericho . And in Chapter 52 of Jeremiah’s prophecy an account is given of what they did to him for his treachery. In verses 12 and 13 of the present chapter the LORD tells us the story of that incident. The LORD “spread His net over him,” or caused him to be taken by the enemy, and carried to Babylon where he died, although he was not allowed to see Babylon , because the Babylonians put out his eyes before they carried him away captive. Almost all of the Jews were carried away as captives to Babylon . Yet the LORD did permit a few to escape “from the sword, from famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Among those who were allowed to escape was Jeremiah the prophet, in whose writings we find a declaration of all the abominations of the Jews of that time.

(Verses 17 through 20) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness; and say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Thus the LORD declares that Jerusalem and all the cities round about her shall be left desolate until the Jews are brought to realize that He is the LORD.

(Verses 21 through 25) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel , saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel : but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel . For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.

In Israel there had been so many false prophets, telling visions that did not come to pass, that they had developed a proverb, “The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.” The LORD declares that this proverb shall be no more used in Israel : but it shall be changed to, “The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.” He will cut off these vain visions that false prophets have been seeing. And the only visions that any shall se are those that He will show; and they shall come to pass without delay. When He speaks, the word will be performed, for He is the Lord God. And none can hinder Him.

(Verses 26 through 28) Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of My words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.

Thus the LORD re-states His declaration that what he says will no more be delayed, but will come to pass shortly after it is spoken.

(Verses 1 through 9) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts: ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken lies, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. And Mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel , neither shall they enter into the land of Israel ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Even during the captivity there were false prophets among the Jews. During the siege of Jerusalem they had told the people that the LORD had said that Jerusalem would not be taken, and they would not go into captivity. Even after that prophecy proved to be false, and they were taken captive, they still gave the people false hope by telling them that the LORD would soon deliver them from the Babylonians. One wonders how they could continue to deceive the people after the failure of those things they prophesied before the fall of Jerusalem . But somehow, in the eyes of the people, they were still considered prophets of the LORD. Albeit He declares that He did not send them, and had not spoken by them. All they have spoken are lies; and because of this He is against them, so that they shall not be written in the writing of the house of Israel , and neither shall they enter into the land of Israel . That is, they shall be destroyed before the Jews return to the land of Israel . And by this “ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Those who do not believe that He is the LORD should be warned that He knows how, and is able, to get His message across.

(Verses 10 through 16) Because, even because they have seduced My people, saying, Peace: and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar: say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger, and great hailstones in My fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I accomplish My wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; to wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

Since this was in about the sixth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, who was among the first captives carried to Babylon , there was still a very long time before there would be peace, or freedom, for the Jews. The total captivity was to be for at least 70 years, which is sufficient time for most, if not all of the generation to whom Ezekiel was commanded to give this message to die. So to them there was no promise of peace. Nevertheless, these false prophets were promising to them that they would, in just a very little while be set free, and would have peace. And, as we have already pointed out, in spite of the failure of the prophecies of these prophets while in Jerusalem , the people still believed them. Thus their word was to the Jews as a wall of protection for them. But this wall was built of lies, and was therefore as a wall built without proper mortar in the joints of the stones of which it was made. The stones were only stacked up, and then daubed, or plastered, with mortar that was not properly made, and would not hold the stones together. So when the storms of reality come upon it, it can only fall, leaving the people with no protection at all. Not only so, but the LORD declares that He will send upon that wall such a storm that it will completely destroy the wall, and consume those who have so built it. Then He will say unto them, “The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; to wit, the prophets which prophecy concerning Jerusalem , and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.” This certainly reminds one of the prophets of today who are always declaring that there is “ just around the corner” a great day of peace and spiritual prosperity for the church, while the Apostle Paul tells us plainly that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

(Verses 17 through 21) Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? And will ye pollute Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and save alive the souls that should not live, by your lying to My people that hear your lies? Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

The expression, “sew pillows to all armholes,” is read by some scholars, “sew amulets to all wrists.” Which is correct, I confess I do not know, since I have no expertise in the Hebrew Language. But it seems that, in whatever way this particular phrase is translated, the women, as well as the prophets, are putting forth every effort that they think might help them to find the souls they are hunting. And the LORD asks the question, “Will ye hunt the souls of My people, and will ye save alive the souls that come unto you?” This seems to mean, “do you have the ability to save those souls that you do find?” And, of course, they do not. Then He asks, “And will ye pollute Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My people that hear your lies?” They are polluting, or defiling, the LORD by trying to do the work that only He can do. They are even trying to save alive the souls that should die, and kill those that should live, all of which is polluting the LORD. He alone has the right to make that judgment. So He is against all these things that they are using to attract souls. Therefore He will tear them out of their hands, and will let them go, so that they shall never more be in their hand to be hunted. When He does this they shall know that He is the LORD.

(Verses 22 and 23) Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver My people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

This is, of course the word of the LORD against the false prophets that were among the Jews in that day. And certainly there is nothing about this that is difficult to understand. But it, no doubt, is also applicable to the ministers among the LORD’S people today who are doing the same thing. There has been, for the past sixty years a growing number of ministers that declare, concerning every evil person in the scriptures, or elsewhere, that he is not a wicked man, but only a child of God walking in disobedience: and though he will lose the joy of the service of the LORD while in the present life, he will surely be saved eternally. Does that not make sad the heart of the righteous, whom the LORD has not made sad, and strengthen the hands of the wicked that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life? Remember that when He said, “For I will deliver My people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD,” He is not promising that He will just very gently reveal to them that He is GOD; but the meaning is that He will bring upon them such punishment that they will have to acknowledge it.

(Verses 1 through 5) Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from Me through their idols.

Some of the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to ask him what message he had from the LORD. While they were sitting before him, the word of the LORD came to him. But it surely was not what they wanted to hear. The first thing the LORD told him was concerning the condition of the hearts of these men. They had set up their idols in their hearts, and they had put the stumblingblocks of their iniquity before their faces. They were in no condition to even inquire of the LORD. So God told Him to tell these men, “Thus saith the Lord GOD, ‘Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.’” He will give them no pleasant answers at all, because they are following their idols. He will have no fellowship with idols.

(Verse 6 through 11) Therefore say unto the house of Israel , Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the house of Israel, or the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from Me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire of him concerning Me; I the LORD will answer him by Myself: and I will set My face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch My hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel . And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; that the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

This is a continuation of the message the LORD told Ezekiel to give to the men who had come to him to inquire of the LORD. The only answer He would give to any man who as they did, came to inquire of the prophet without giving up his idols and the stumblingblock of his iniquity. He would answer them according to the multitude of their idols until they turned away from those idols, and repented of their iniquities. And if they came to one of the prophets who were deceived, they could be sure that the LORD had deceived that prophet. And not only so, but He would destroy both that prophet and them. The punishment of the prophet would be the same as that of those who came to him. It seems that verse 11 is looking forward even to the time of the final restoration of Israel, for only then will it be “that the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither be polluted any more by their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD” It is certainly true that they have not yet been thoroughly cleansed from all their transgressions, for it was for their iniquities that the LORD permitted them to be overthrown by Titus and his army in 70 AD. But His promise of restoration will surely be fulfilled at His appointed time.

(Verses 12 through 14) The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out Mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Thus the LORD declares that when, for the sins of the people of the land, He determines to send famine upon them, such that it will cut off both man and beast, nothing, and no one can avert it. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job, were there, they could not stop it. Their righteousness would deliver none but themselves. We see from this that although Daniel was of the captivity, and was in Babylon at this same time, His reputation for righteousness had already become well known.

(Verses 15 and 16) If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

This is another of the judgments that the LORD can use to bring on the desolation of a land. And He says that the three men mentioned in verse 14 would have no effect upon it if they were in the land. Their righteousness would deliver neither son nor daughter, but only themselves.

(Verses 17 and 18) Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it. Though these men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall deliver themselves.

If the LORD should send the sword against a land to make if desolate, the presence of Noah, Daniel, and Job, would have no effect upon it. Their righteousness would deliver them only, but none else.

(Verses 19 through 21) Or if I send pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send My four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

He tells us exactly the same thing about His sending the pestilence that He does about each of the other judgments He uses. If these three righteous men were in the land, their righteousness would benefit none but themselves. And since this is true, how much chance does any man have when He sends all four of His four sore judgments against Jerusalem ? It seems that there will be no one left.

(Verses 22 and 23) Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Thus we have the promise of the LORD that even though the righteousness of the three righteous men He has named could not deliver anyone from the destruction He has purposed to send upon Jerusalem, He will of His own mercy, spare a remnant of both sons and daughters. And they shall be a comfort to the prophet. They will also prove that He has not brought upon Jerusalem all this destruction without cause. Jerusalem has earned it all.

(Verses 1 through 5) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? Or will men take a pin thereof to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?

We are all aware that the wild vines that grow among the trees of the forest are worthless, so far as our making of lumber is concerned. We cannot even get from them a pin strong enough to hang any vessel upon it. And, certainly, there is no other work for which we could get suitable lumber from a vine. It might be cut up, and used for fuel for the fire, but nothing else. After it has been burned, it is even less worthwhile. So from the viewpoint of making anything of it, it is completely worthless. This is all said to prepare for what the LORD is about to set forth.

(Verses 6 through 8) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem . And I will set My face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them, and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.

The foregoing discussion of the worthlessness of the vine was for the purpose of showing just how worthless the LORD considered the inhabitants of Jerusalem . So, just as the vine is good for nothing except fuel for the fire, so will He destroy the inhabitants of Jerusalem , because they have trespassed against Him.

Chapter 16

(Verses 1 through 5) Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem ; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan ; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these for thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou wast cast out into the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day thou wast born.

Since Genesis 10:15 shows Heth, the father of the Hittites to have been the grandson of Ham the son of Noah; and Genesis 10:16 lists the Amorite as also the son of Canaan the son of Ham, while in Genesis11 Abram is shown to have been a descendant of Shem the brother of Ham, it seems that the statement, “thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite,” has to do with the origin of Jerusalem, and not the origin of the Jews themselves. Jerusalem was a city before the Israelites were brought back into the land and settled there by Joshua the servant of God who succeeded Moses as the leader of Israel . At that time it was called Salem , and after it was captured by the Israelites it was changed to Jerusalem .

(Verses 6 through 8) And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud in the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold thy time was the time of love; and I spread My skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest Mine.

This is a short history lesson concerning the Jews. When the LORD passed by them while they were in the land of Canaan, they were as the abandoned baby He has already described; but even then He cleaned up the baby, and caused it to live. Then, in the land of Egypt , He caused them to multiply, and become more numerous than the Egyptians. Then He delivered them out of the land of Egypt , and as a man marries a young woman, He married them by making his covenant with them as is set forth in Exodus 19:5-9. This covenant, just as the marriage vows, sets forth what both the wife and the husband are to do. Thus they became His, that is, His wife.

(Verses 9 through 14) Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

This text shows forth very clearly what Moses said in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, “The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” As a metaphor, this text shows that there was nothing about Israel that could be given credit for His choosing them, bringing them out of bondage, delivering them to the land of Canaan, and there building such a great nation of them as they were during the reign of Solomon, all of which answers to the washing away of all the blood, anointing with oil, and dressing His wife, Israel, in all the fancy attire that is here described. In this, she was exceedingly beautiful, and grew into a prosperous kingdom. And her beauty was such that she was renowned among the nations round about her for her beauty, which was given her of the Lord GOD.

(Verses 15 through 19) But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. And thy garments thou didst  take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of My gold and My silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, and tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set Mine oil and Mine incense before them. My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.

With all the great blessings that the LORD had given to Israel , she forgot that they were given her according to His mercy and grace, and became so vain that she came to trust in her own beauty, and started seeking after the idol gods of the nations round about her. She even took the gold and silver that the LORD had given her, and made from them images of her idols, and offered the riches that GOD had given her to them instead of to Him. This is what the LORD is calling her whoredom with them. Things that He has given her, she has taken and offered unto idols.

(Verses 20 through 25) Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, that thou hast slain My children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through fire for them? And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) that thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

All of this has to do with the idolatry of Israel , which is what is known as “spiritual adultery.” Israel is compared to a woman who practices adultery with every man she can find. The LORD mentions one particular abomination that was sometimes practiced by Israel that might seem to us worse than any other, although all idolatry is an abomination. There was among many of the heathen tribes a practice of offering their children to Molech, one of their idol gods. This was done by having a metal statue of Molech erected, taking  a baby, placing it in the outstretched arms of the statue, and heating this statue red hot, and thus burning the baby to death. This is one of the idolatrous practices in which Israel sometimes took part. Then they had built altars to their idols in every street, and there they practiced their idolatry. They had come to the place that almost every one of them had his own gods. So Israel ’s beauty that had been so renowned was only an object of hatred to all who knew them.

(Verses 26 through 29) Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbors, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke Me to anger. Behold, therefore I have stretched out My hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet could not be satisfied. Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea ; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

The reference to their fornication with the Egyptians and the Assyrians is, primarily, to the fact that for some time before the Chaldeans, or Babylonians, had come into the land, Israel had been trying to play the Egyptians against the Assyrians, and vice versa. They had sent presents to the king of Egypt to bribe him to help them against the Assyrians, while at the same time sending presents to the king of Assyria trying to get his help against Egypt . In spite of what such prophets as Isaiah told them, they would not turn back to the LORD, who alone could help them. So the Assyrians finally overran Israel , and removed many of the inhabitants to foreign lands, and brought in foreigners to re-populate the region. After this the Babylonians came against Judah , overcame it, and set up Zedekiah as king therein. But he revolted against them, and this brought on the great destruction of the temple and Jerusalem , and the captivity of the Jews, by the Babylonians. In all that period of their history the Jews were very unstable. So there was no escape from the captivity that He had determined to send upon them.

(Verses 30 through 34) How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; in that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; but as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

 When the LORD says, “How weak is thy heart,” it seems that He is asking, “Is there life or love left in it?” He has enumerated so many of the evils Jerusalem has done, that it seems there can be no real love in the heart of one that would do such. Then He says that she has not even followed the course that is usually followed by a harlot. They usually are paid for their services, but she has even hired her lovers. She has acted more like an adulterous wife than a harlot. She has tried to hire every lover she could find, and instead of receiving pay for her services, she pays lovers to come to her, which is all utterly contrary to other women.

(Verses 35 through 43) Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. So will I make My fury toward thee to rest, and My jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted Me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.

The LORD declares that He will judge Jerusalem as a wife that breaks wedlock, and sheds blood. He will gather before her all those who have been her lovers, and all those she has hated, and will put her in their hands. They shall tear down all her high places, strip off all her jewelry and fancy clothing, and leave her naked and bare. Then they will bring a company against her that will stone her with stones, and thrust her through with their swords. Were she actually a woman instead of a city, this would certainly be the end of her. Then He speaks to her as unto a city, saying, “And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.” When He does this, His fury shall rest, His jealousy shall be gone, and He will be quiet, and no more angry, for her failure to remember the days of her youth, and all He has done for her. And she shall not continue in her lewdness and her abominations.

(Verses 44 through 51) Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters , which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. And thine elder sister is Samaria , she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom , pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations.

The LORD declares that after this, every one who makes use of proverbs, will make use of this one concerning Jerusalem : “As is the mother, so is the daughter.” As He said back in verse 3, He again affirms, “Your mother was an Hittite, and your father was an Amorite.” As we have formerly said, this is not intended to say that the Jews were descended from the Amorites and the Hittites, but only to show the background of Jerusalem . And, of course, all that the inhabitants of Jerusalem knew about Sodom was what they had heard from the writings of Moses, which makes the LORD’S statement concerning Samaria and Sodom a little unclear. He says that Samaria   is Jerusalem ’s elder sister, and Sodom her younger sister. Samaria was still in existence at the time of this prophecy. Nevertheless, the message is still the same. Jerusalem has done worse than either Samaria or Sodom . She had had far greater blessings than either of these two, and was by all considered the center for the true worship of the LORD. Samaria had long been cut off from the worship of the LORD, and had been led by Jeroboam to worship the two golden calves He made and set up when he was king of Israel ; but Jerusalem still maintained the temple as the place in which to worship JEHOVAH. Nevertheless, there was just as much idol worship in Jerusalem as anywhere else. Witness what the LORD showed Ezekiel in Chapter 8 of this prophecy. And so far as Sodom was concerned, there is no record that they ever had been taught anything concerning the Lord GOD, until Lot moved into it. And apparently the people of Sodom did not listen to him at all. So in the light of what God had done for Jerusalem , they had done worse than either Samaria or Sodom . Jerusalem ’s wickedness seemed to, in the eyes of men, even justify Samaria and Sodom in their sins.

(Verses 52 through 59) Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters. When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: that thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria , and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about. Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD. For thus saith the Lord GOD, I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

The LORD continues to point out to Jerusalem that she has done worse than either Sodom or Samaria , in that although she had been lifted up so high by the LORD and the blessings He had given her, she has sunk to a lower level in her idolatries and abominations than either of them. While she was so exalted in her own pride, she would not even speak of her sister, Sodom and her daughters, So now she must bear her own shame, and thus be a comfort to both Sodom and Samaria . And only when Sodom and Samaria are brought back to their former estates shall Jerusalem be brought back to hers. So the LORD declares that He will deal with her as she has done. She has despised the oath that was between them at the making of the covenant. (That is, the covenant He made with Israel . See Exodus 19: 5-9.) And since she has despised that covenant, she has brought all this chastisement upon herself.

(Verses 60 through 63) Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. And thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. And I will establish My covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

In spite of all that the LORD has said that he will do to Jerusalem because of her sins and abominations, He declares that He will still remember His covenant that He made with her “in the days of her youth,” that is, the covenant of Exodus 19:5-9. And in addition to this, He will establish unto her another covenant. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34.) Notice that this covenant will not be “with” Jerusalem , but “unto” her. Also it shall be an everlasting covenant. Jeremiah 31:35-37 tells us of its duration, while the remainder of that chapter tells us of some things that will be done to Jerusalem at that time, all of which constitutes a wonderful promise. He here says, to Jerusalem , “Thou shalt receive thy sisters, the elder and the younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.” This gift will be , not by her covenant, but according to His own mercy. Then He says, “And I will establish My covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.” There can be no doubt that this looks far beyond the end of the Babylonian captivity, and even to the great re-gathering of Israel in the last days, not “the gospel day,” as some try to tell us.

Chapter 17

(Verses 1 through 10) And the word of the LORD came unto Me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, and full of feathers, which had divers colours, came to Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up the roots thereof, that it wither? It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. Yea, behold, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

This is a very important riddle that the Lord has commanded Ezekiel to set before Israel . But since He is about to explain it, perhaps we should wait about making comment concerning it until we consider His explanation thereof.

(Verses 11 through 21) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? Tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; and hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors to Egypt , that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, As I live, surely Mine oath that he despised, and My covenant that he hath broken , even it will I recompense upon his own head. And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon , and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.

Thus the LORD explains to us the meaning of His riddle. The great longwinged eagle of many colours is the king of Babylon ; and the branch of the cedar that He cropped off is Jehoiachin the king of Judah, whom the king of Babylon has already taken away to Babylon as his prisoner. But, in taking Jehoiachin prisoner, the king of Babylon took Zedekiah, a cousin of Jehoiachin, and made him king of Judah . Then Zedekiah tried to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon . Although he had made a covenant with Nebuchadnezzar when Nebuchadnezzar made him king, he was never content to reign as a subordinate ruler. So he tried to get help from the Pharaoh of Egypt to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar; but he was unsuccessful in that. At the time the LORD spoke this riddle against him he was still trying to carry on this rebellion. In this riddle, the LORD declares that this will not be successful. In verses 16 through 18, the LORD says, “’As I live,’ saith the Lord GOD, ‘surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.’” Then, in verses 19 through 21, the LORD tells us just how He will bring this about, why it will be done, and how great shall be the desolation of Jerusalem . And if one will read the prophecy of Jeremiah, he will see that it all took place just as the LORD said it would.

(Verses 22 through 24) Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, and have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

Although this text may in some respects look forward to the final re-gathering of Israel, and her final glory, it seems that primarily it sets forth the coming of the Christ, and to some extent covers both His first and His second comings. The LORD declares that He will take of the highest branch of the cedar, and set it, or establish it. :I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent.” Isaiah tells us concerning the Christ, “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” Surely this is the same “tender one” of the young twigs of this cedar. And it shall “grow up before Him as a tender plant.” Then He declares that He will plant it “in the mountain of the height of Israel . The remainder of verse 23 reminds us of our Lord Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed, with which He represented the kingdom of heaven. “And it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar, and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.” When He says, “And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it,” He is evidently speaking of the spreading of the gospel throughout the world, to all the trees of the field. That is, to every nation of the world. When He brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree, it is very much the same as prophesied by Isaiah, and repeated by John the Baptist. (Luke 3:4-6) “Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” In the crucifixion of the Christ, He dried up the green tree. But in His resurrection, He made the dry tree to flourish. Although this was, by our counting many years later than Ezekiel’s time, the LORD had fully determined it, and He could therefore speak of it as already done: for nothing could hinder it.

Chapter 18

(Verses 1 through 4) The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel . Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Apparently the people of Israel had developed a very similar attitude to that which seems to prevail among us today. No one wanted to admit any responsibility for anything he did. So they developed this proverb, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” meaning, of course, “None of us are to blame for our present calamities. They have been brought on altogether by the sins of our fathers.” But the LORD declares that they will have no more occasion to use this proverb in Israel . He says that the soul of both father and son belong to Him, and each shall be held responsible for its sins. Every one must shoulder his own responsibility.

(Verses 5 through 9)But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath come near a menstruous woman, and hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in My statutes, and hath kept My judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

Here the LORD gives us a description of the man He will consider righteous, or just. And He doesn’t leave much for us to guess about in the matter. He tells us that this man shall surely live. That is, what his father may have done, or left undone, will not be used for judging him. About the only thing that might call for any explanation is the Expression, “and hath not eaten upon the mountains.” It has no reference to his happening to be on the mountain, and getting hungry enough to eat there. Its reference is to the habit some had of building altars on the mountains to their idols, and there eating as worship of them. This is something the just man will not do; and neither will he lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel .

(Verses 10 through 13) If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, and that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor’s wife, hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? He shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

Though a man may be a just man, as described in the previous text, if he shall beget a son who turns out to be as bad as here described, he shall not himself be punished for the iniquities of the son, but neither will the son be permitted to live because of the righteousness of the father. The son who has committed all these abominations “shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.”

(Verses 14 through 18) Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, that hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, that hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed My judgments, hath walked in My statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

So even the son of a wicked man, if he turns away from wickedness, and works righteousness, he shall not be punished for the sins of his father. He shall live. But his righteousness shall not be of any avail for his wicked father. The father shall die for his own sins.

(Verses 19 through 23) Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

The Israelites had so long been considering the LORD’S declaration in Exodus 20:5, “For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me,” as being an excuse for all the chastisement that He brought upon them, that they did not consider themselves to blame for any calamity that might come upon them. But the LORD tells them that they have misinterpreted the whole thing. They wonder how it can be that when the son of a wicked man turns from sin, and serves the LORD, that son does not have to die for the sins of his father. They, as do so many today, began to say that the LORD was not treating them fairly. So He asks a question, “When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all My statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father: neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” This is the fair way, because it is the LORD’S way. He even carries this matter further. He says, “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that He hath committed, and keep all My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” This is not a matter of a father and son comparison, but it is the same man who was wicked, but has turned away from his sins, and keeps all the statutes of the LORD, and does that which is lawful and right. “He shall surely live, he shall not die.” Some will immediately raise the cry that a wicked man can not do this: but there is in the words of the LORD no mention of whether, or not he can do this. The declaration is that, if he does, “he shall surely live, he shall not die.” All the transgressions, of which he has been guilty, “shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.” Then the LORD asks a question that Israel would do well to consider, as, indeed, should we also. “’Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? ’saith the Lord GOD,: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?’”

(Verse 24) But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Notice that this is exactly the reverse of what has just been presented. In that, it was a wicked man who had turned away from his wickedness, and worked righteousness. Here it is a righteous man who has turned away from righteousness to work iniquity. In this instance, the former righteousness of this wicked man who had turned to follow after wickedness is no more to be mentioned, just as the former wickedness of the wicked man who had turned to follow after righteousness is no more to be mentioned. The man who has turned to wickedness shall die in his sins just as any other wicked man.

(Verses 25 through 30) Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel ; Is not My way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel , The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel , are not My ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel , every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Thus the LORD declares to Israel that He will judge every one of them according to the judgment He has just set before them. Therefore He calls upon them to repent, and turn away from all their transgressions, so that iniquity shall not be their ruin.

(Verses 31 and 32) Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel ? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Again the LORD calls upon Israel to cast away their transgressions, and make unto themselves a new heart, and a new spirit, or heart, and thus reap the promise he has made, when He has said that the one who turns away from his iniquities, and works righteousness shall live.

There are those who will immediately raise the cry that if this is true, there can be no assurance that the saints will persevere unto salvation. But notice should be taken that nothing is here said about eternal destruction; and there are many scriptures that prove abundantly that God’s elect are forever safe, as well as saved.

Chapter 19

(Verses 1 through 9) Moreover take thee up a lamentation for the princes of Israel , and say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. The nations heard also of him; he was taken in the pit, and they brought him in chains unto the land of Egypt .. Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. And he knew their desolate places, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof by the noise of his roaring. Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in the pit. And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon : they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel .

The LORD commands Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel . Actually this was for the princes of Judah , for that was all that was left of Israel at this time. The kingdom of Israel , which was the Northern kingdom , had many years earlier been overthrown, and the people dispersed. In this lamentation, Jerusalem is likened to a mother lioness. The first cub she took and made king was Jehoiakim, who was made king by Pharaoh-neco king of Egypt , which made Jehoiakim’s kingdom a vassal of Egypt . After his death Jehoiachin his son became king in Jerusalem . Then Nebuchadnezzar and his army besieged Jerusalem , and Jehoiachin, together with many of his subjects was carried captive to Babylon . And this lamentation was given to Ezekiel about six years later. Remember that the siege of Jerusalem was still going on at the time of this prophecy.

(Verses 10 through 14) Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

In this portion of the lamentation Jerusalem is likened to a very fruitful vine that has been broken down and burned so that there is neither fruit nor worthwhile branch left. And to make matters worse it has been taken up, and moved to a location that is nothing but a dry and thirsty ground. So there appears to be no hope of its ever being able to revive. A terrible picture of desolation indeed!

Chapter 20

(Verses 1 through 7) And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month. the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me. Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to inquire of Me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up Mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up Mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God; in the day that I lifted up Mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

In Chapter 1, verse 2, Ezekiel tells us that the time of the first coming of the word of the LORD to him was on the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, which he also says was in the “thirtieth year,” but he does not say what the thirtieth year is counted from. Here He tells us that this occurrence is on the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year, which , we would assume is the seventh year of Jehoiachin’s captivity. This would make this incident a little less than two years later than the first. It was a common thing for the elders to go to the prophet to inquire of the LORD. As these elders sat before Ezekiel, the word of the LORD came to him. The message it brought certainly was not pleasant to them. First the LORD declared that He would not be inquired of by them, that is, He would not give any answers to their questions. Instead, He commanded Ezekiel to “cause them to know the abominations of their fathers. He then began at the point of their history when He had made choice of them, and had sworn (“lifted up His hand”) unto them that He was their GOD, and that He would bring them up out of the land of Egypt, and bring them to the land of Canaan, a land “flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.” He reminds them, “Then said I unto them, ‘Cast ye away every man the abominations of His eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt : I am the LORD your God.’” Notice should be taken of the fact that The LORD commanded them to cast away their abominations, and refrain from defiling themselves only after He had declared to them that He was their God, and that He would bring them out of Egypt , and lead them to a land that flowed with milk and honey.

(Verses 8 and 9) But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt .

The LORD continues with the record of Israel ’ disobedience. They rebelled so much against Him that He did threaten to destroy them. But Moses reminded the LORD that to destroy them after having made unto them such a great promise, and having shown His great power in the plagues He had sent upon the Egyptians, would cause all the heathen to blaspheme His name, and say that He was not able to do what He had promised. So for the sake of His own name the LORD did bring them out of Egypt . He declares that in doing this, He wrought for His own name’s sake. It was not for any merit on the part of Israel .

(Verses 10 through 16) Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt , and brought them into the wilderness. And gave them My statutes, and shewed them My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them My sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness: they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them; and My sabbaths they greatly polluted; then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; because they despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

After the LORD brought Israel out of the land of Egypt , and gave unto them His laws and His sabbaths, they rebelled against Him more. They did not keep His statutes, and did not walk in His judgments. So He did not bring wholesale destruction upon them, lest it cause the heathen to blaspheme His name, and say that He was not able to do what He had begun; but He did set forth to destroy all among them who were twenty years of age and upward, except Joshua and Caleb. Even Moses and Aaron were cut off from entering the Promised Land, although the LORD did take Moses up into the mountain, and show the land to him.

(Verses 17 through 21) Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; and hallow My sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Notwithstanding the children rebelled against Me: they walked not in My statutes, neither kept My judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted My sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

Although God was highly displeased with the children of Israel, and was considering totally destroying them at that time, He spared them, and said to their children, “Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols; I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; and hallow My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.” But they, like their fathers, turned away from Him, and would neither walk in His statutes nor keep His judgments, the very things which He had told them if a man would do he would live in them. They also polluted His sabbaths. Then He again said that He would pour out His fury upon them in the wilderness because of His anger against them.

(Verses 22 through 26) Nevertheless I withdrew Mine hand, and wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. I lifted up Mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, and had polluted My sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols. Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.

In spite of the fact that the children of Israel had done so much evil that the LORD threatened to utterly destroy them in the wilderness, He still, for His own name’s sake, lest it be polluted in the sight of the heathen, worked with them, and spared them. But He did swear unto them that He would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them among the countries, because they had not executed His judgments, but had despised His laws. They continued to walk after the idols of their fathers, and disregard His laws. Verses 25 and 26 tell us something that many of our brethren today will tell you has to be an incorrect translation, or has to be a mistake of some kind. They will tell you that God would never do such as He declares that He did.. But we should also consider II Thessalonians 2:11-12. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” The present text says, “Wherefore I gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they may know that I am the LORD.” Notice that He says “I gave” them the statutes that were not good. They did not dream them up for themselves. God gave them to them. He also gave them “judgments whereby they should not live. He also caused the gifts they were given, such as prophecy, and ideas of how to worship, to be polluted, which led them to offer their firstborn children to the heathen gods as a burnt sacrifice, all for the purpose of making them desolate. He declares that this was for one reason, “to the end that they may know that I am the LORD.” Notice that He did not, as He so often has, say, “that they might know that I am the LORD their God,” but only “that they might know that I am the LORD.” Even the wicked will be brought to know that He is the LORD. Although God did destroy many of the children of Israel , The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians 10, that although all the Israelites passed through the cloud and through the sea, there were many of them with whom God was mot pleased, so He destroyed them. In Hebrews 3:16-18, says, “For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?” Again, Paul says, (Romans 9:7-8) “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” So the LORD did not make a full end of them, but, as He often tells us, He spared a remnant.

(Verses 27 through 32) Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel , and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, in that they have committed a trespass against Me. For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out their drink offerings. Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is Bamah unto this day. Wherefore say unto the house of Israel , Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredoms after their abominations? For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with idols, even unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel ? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you. And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

The chastisement that the LORD sent upon Israel , apparently had no effect upon them , or, at least, upon the majority of them. For they blasphemed Him by committing idolatry against Him after He brought them into the Promised Land. They searched out the high hills, and the thick trees, and there set up their altars, made their sacrifices, and worshipped the idols of the land, even to the point of offering their firstborn as burnt sacrifices to these idols. These things they had continued, and were continuing, even at the time of their coming to Ezekiel to inquire of the LORD. So He declares, “As I live, I will not be inquired of by you.” He further tells them that those things that come into their minds, such as that they will be as the heathen, and the countries round about them, and shall serve wood and stone idols, shall not come to pass. They will not be allowed to continue to do as they please.

(Verses 33 through 38) As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt , so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

This text, and the remainder of this chapter, deal not with what was immediately ahead for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but with what shall be in the day in which the LORD shall re-gather not just Judah, who was to be carried away in captivity to Babylon, but the whole house of Israel, from all the countries wherein they have so long been dispersed and scattered. There will be some very fearful times connected with this, for He says that He will do it “with a mighty hand, and a stretched out arm, and fury poured out.” It will not be by a matter of gentle persuasion. Not only will the fury of the LORD be poured out upon the nations that might attempt to hold them back, but as He does gather them back, He will bring them into “the wilderness of the people.” And He declares, “There will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of Egypt , so will I plead with you.” A little study of the book of Exodus will give some idea of how He did plead with their fathers. And it can readily be seen that He did not gently beg them to do as He commanded them, but showed them His mighty power to convince them that they had better obey Him. He declares, “And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” This is a three point declaration.. First He declares that He will cause those He brings into the bond of the covenant “to pass under the rod.” Thus was a practice in use at that time by those who bought livestock. A single file passageway was prepared, and a rod held across it at a height that the livestock could pass under it. The buyer would then be able to watch them as they passed under the rod. This enabled him, not only to count them, but also to inspect them, and refuse any that He did not consider as meeting proper standards. So the LORD will inspect the qualifications of all whom He brings into the bond of the covenant. The second point is that, while thus inspecting them, He will purge out all the rebels and those that transgress against Him. And third, He says that He will bring out those rebels and transgressors from the country in which they sojourn. But He also declares that, “they shall not enter into the land of Israel .” When He does this they shall certainly know that He is the LORD.

(Verses 39 through 42) As for you, O house of Israel , thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto Me: but pollute ye My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. For in Mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel , saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel , all of them in the land, serve Me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you from the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel , into the country for which I have lifted up Mine hand to give it to your fathers.

The LORD has already set forth His promise of what He will do. Therefore, to those of the house of Israel that will not hearken to Him, He says, “Go ye, serve every one his idols.” Notice that this is only to those who will not hearken unto Him. And even as He tells them to go after their idols, He says, “But pollute ye My holy name no more with your gifts and with your idols.” If they are going to follow their idols, they are to follow them, and not pretend to serve Him, by bringing there gifts to Him while worshipping their idols. All the house of Israel , that is, all that are brought back to the land of Israel , shall serve Him, and there shall be no idolaters among them. When He brings them back, He will accept both them and their offerings. He will require all their offerings, and He will bring them out of all the peoples and countries where they have been scattered. He will be sanctified in them, and they shall know that He is the LORD. It should be noticed that the country into which He will bring them is the same one He swore to give to their fathers

(Verses 43 and 44) And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel , saith the Lord GOD.

When the LORD brings Israel back to the land which He promised to their fathers, they shall be brought to repentance for all their iniquities and idolatries and shall hate themselves for all their evils which they have committed. Then shall they truly know that the LORD is indeed the Lord GOD, and that He has not dealt with them according to their wicked ways or according to their corrupt doings, but according to His mercy.

(Verses 45 through 49) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field; and say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces  from the south to the north shall be burned therein. And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched. Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

This new message so affected Ezekiel that He was made to say, “AH Lord GOD, they say of me, Doth he not speak parables.” Apparently He did not understand just what was included therein. Certainly, it shows great devastation coming from the south. But the timing of it is not given, and neither is any further explanation given in the word of the LORD.

Chapter 21

In Chapter 20, Ezekiel was given a parable to speak “against the forest of the south field.” But no explanation was given him concerning it. When He heard it, he was so puzzled by it that he said, “Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, ‘Doth he not speak in parables?’” He felt that none would understand him. So, in Chapter 21, we find the explanation.

(Verses 1 through 7) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: that all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of the loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

As we consider this we want to remember that when the kingdom of Israel was torn apart by Jeroboam and Rehoboam , Judah , the capitol of which was Jerusalem , was thereafter known as “the southern kingdom,” and Israel was known as “the northern kingdom.” At the time of this prophecy, the northern kingdom, Israel , had already long been overrun by the Assyrians, and the inhabitants thereof dispersed over many nations. So the parable which was given to Ezekiel concerning “the forest of the south field,” was against the southern kingdom Judah , and her capitol Jerusalem . Although Ezekiel is here commanded to “prophesy against the land of Israel ,” it is really against Judah and Jerusalem , because that is all that was at this time left of Israel . So now the LORD says that He will draw out His sword from its sheath, and with it He will cut off both the wicked and the righteous. Although His wrath is against the wicked, the righteous will also be caused to suffer. Remember that when the LORD overthrew Sodom , Although He delivered Lot from the destruction, He made him to leave behind him in Sodom all the riches he had acquired, and delivered only Lot and his two daughters. And after the birth of his two sons by the incestuous relations with his two daughters, we hear no more about him. So the devastation that GOD was going to bring upon Judah and Jerusalem was such that both wicked and righteous were carried away captive to Babylon . Yet a few stragglers were left in Judah by the Babylonians. But they also had great suffering, as Jeremiah tells us in his book.

(Verses 8 through 17) Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword is sharpened, and also furbished: it is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? It contemneth the rod of My son, as every tree. And He hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give into the hand of the slayer. Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon My people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel : terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon My people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD. Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! It is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. Go thee one way or the other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. I will also smite Mine hands together, and I will cause My fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

Certainly, the sword that the LORD had prepared against Jerusalem was the army of the Babylonians. They had already laid waste to all of Judah except Jerusalem , and were even at this time holding Jerusalem under siege. And the LORD had determined that Jerusalem would fall. According to Jeremiah, they did let him and a few others go free when the city fell, but in general they had no more pity on the righteous than upon the wicked. This sword was to reach into the most secret chambers of the great men. And it was set against all the gates of the city so that none could escape. King Zedekiah and some of his men of war tried to escape, but were overtaken by the Babylonians, and Jeremiah tells us what the Babylonians did to him. The LORD now tells Ezekiel to go in either direction He may turn, whether to the right hand, or to the left. And when he does, He will smite His hands together, as an indication that He is bringing this to a conclusion, and that His fury is appeased.

(Verses 18 through 24) The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked at the liver. At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem , to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

This seems a little strange, in that, although the LORD tells Ezekiel to appoint two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come, and to choose a place for them to come together, He does not leave it up to him to make the choice, but tells him to choose it at the head of the way to the city. He is to appoint a way for the sword to come to two places, Rabbath of the Ammonites, and Judah in Jerusalem . He tells us that “the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways to use divination.” That is, there he consulted his idol gods. He used the various rituals that were commonly used by idolaters as they consulted their false gods. “At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem .” And thereby he appointed his captains and gave orders as to how the battering rams were to be set against the gates, as well as how the mounts and the forts were to be built. Apparently this was in sight of the people of Jerusalem , and they thought since he was consulting idols for instructions in his siege, it was a false divination, and would not succeed. But because the Jews have made their iniquity to be remembered, and all their sins do so openly appear, the LORD says that they shall be “taken with the hand,” that is, taken captive.

(Verses 25 through 27) And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.

Thus the LORD tells Zedekiah that his diadem and crown shall be stripped from him, and the succession of kings in Jerusalem shall not continue as it has been. They may exalt the low, and abase the high, but the Lord shall himself overturn it so that it shall be no more until He Whose right it is shall come, and the LORD shall give it to Him. This seems to look forward to the restoration of Israel , when our Lord Jesus shall return, stand upon the mount of Olives, and fight the battle for Jerusalem . Then shall He be the King in Jerusalem , and all nations shall come up to Jerusalem to worship Him.

(Verses 28 through 32) And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering: Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end. Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. And I will pour out Mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of My wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire, thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it.

This prophecy is against the Ammonites. Although they were the descendants of Lot who was Abraham’s nephew, they were never too friendly to Israel . In fact, they even did much damage to Judah , both while the Assyrians had ravished the land, and while the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem . So God declares that He will pour out His indignation upon them, and destroy them so that they shall no more be remembered. And today it would be extremely difficult to find a people that even claims to be descended from them.

Chapter 22

(Verses 1 through 12) (Verses 1 through 12) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea thou shalt shew her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed. Behold, the princes of Israel , every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. Thou hast despised Mine holy things, and hast profaned My sabbaths. In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. And one hath committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; and thou hast taken usury and increase, and hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten Me, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel is here commanded to judge the bloody city, which is none other than Jerusalem . Without repeating all the charges that are laid against her, it seems to be not far from the mark to say that she is guilty of every sin that can be imagined. Nothing good is said about her at all. Her inhabitants are guilty of violence, wickedness of all kinds, and all manner of immoral actions, together with great idolatry. So there seems to be nothing good about them.

(Verses 13 through 22) Behold, therefore I have smitten Mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to Me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye all have become dross, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem . As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in Mine anger and My fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out My fury upon you.

In this text the LORD declares that He has “smitten His hand” (Our common expression today would be, “I have wrung my hands”) at the dishonest gain which the inhabitants of Jerusalem have made, and at the blood they have shed. That is, it is so contrary to what He has commanded them to do, and they so adamantly persist in it in spite of all His warnings, that it is astonishing. So He asks a question, “Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee?” He has determined to bring upon them great affliction because of these things, and the basic question is, “Can they hold out against that?” He then sets forth to tell them what He is going to do to them. The first thing He will do, is to scatter them among the heathen, disperse them in the countries, and consume their filthiness out of them. And as we continue to study what He says, we find that this consuming of their filthiness will be by burning, just as the dross is burned out of silver. That is, they will be put in a fire hot enough to melt down all their dross. In this melting down, He is assuredly speaking metaphorically of the siege of Jerusalem , together with its fall, and the taking captive of the people. He declares that He will take from them their inheritance in the sight of the heathen. That is, the heathen around them shall be witnesses of this. He then continues on with His declaration of just how worthless the house of Israel has become. It is just like the brass, tin, iron, and lead that are left in the furnace when silver is purified by the burning off of its dross. And His treatment of them will be as the placing of such in the furnace, and blowing upon them with the bellows, which makes the fire as hot as possible, and will melt them all down,  “as silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out My fury upon you.”

(Verses 23 through 27) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her Priests have violated My law, and have profaned My holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and the profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I was profaned among them. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, and to get dishonest gain.

The LORD declares that Israel is a land that is not cleansed, and not even washed by rain in the day of indignation. That is, the day in which He pours out His indignation upon her. Even her prophets within her are like ravening lions. They have taken the treasure and precious things. This is probably a reference to their advising the king to take the treasure and precious things that had been laid up in the temple, and trying to hire the king of Egypt to help them against Babylon . These treasures and precious things belonged to the LORD; but they have turned to worldly powers for help instead of turning back to the LORD. By so doing, they have caused many to be slain, thus making “many widows in the midst thereof.” Her priests also have violated the law of the LORD, and make no difference between what is holy and what is profane, or between the clean and the unclean, so that they have even profaned the LORD Himself. And her princes are no better than wolves. They shed blood, destroy souls, and get dishonest gain.

(Verses 28 through 31) And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

With all the evils that the prophets, priests, and princes of Israel were doing, their prophets went a step further. They tried to justify the people in all these evils by prophesying falsely to them, and telling them things that would comfort them, and claiming that the LORD had told them these things , when He had not spoken at all. It was as if one built a wall, and then to try to keep it from falling daubed it with untempered mortar, that is, plastered it over with plaster, which, of course added no strength to the wall. It only looks better until the time comes when it will fall. With this false comfort to strengthen them, the people oppressed, robbed, vexed the poor and needy, and mistreated strangers, all of which the LORD has forbidden. He declares that He “sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land , that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” With all the evils going on today among people who profess to be following the Lord, one has to wonder if a man could be found now that would stand. Because He could find none to stand, the LORD poured out upon them His wrath, consumed them, and recompensed their own way upon their heads. Where do we stand?

Chapter 23

(Verses 1 through 4) The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: And they committed whoredoms in Egypt ; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and their they bruised the teats of their virginity. And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah: and they were Mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

This is the setting of a parable concerning Samaria and Jerusalem . The LORD calls them two women who are “sisters, the daughters of one mother.” Before the division of the kingdom of Israel after the death of Solomon, the children of Israel were all one people, but after the division Samaria was the capitol of Israel , and Jerusalem was the capitol of Judah . So we can by this see that they are of one mother, but they were two separate women. When reference is made to their whoredoms in Egypt in their youth, the LORD is speaking of their worshipping idols while the Israelites were in Egypt . As well as even as they wandered in the wilderness. All the way through this parable the LORD is speaking of their turning away from Him to idol gods, and to worldly kings for help in times of need instead of coming to Him as they ought. The whole parable concerns, not their natural adultery, but what is often called “spiritual adultery,” their turning away from Him to other gods, and even to other people for help.

(Verses 5 through 10) And Aholah played the harlot when she was Mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria , and with all on whom she doted: with all her idols she defiled herself. Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt : for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredoms upon her. Wherefore I have delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.

This is the story of Aholah ( Samaria ). She continued in her idolatries and seeking to earthly powers for help until the LORD delivered her to the Assyrians whom she had tried to play against Egypt , while at the same time trying to play Egypt against them. And they executed judgment upon her, by overthrowing the land of Israel , removing the inhabitants to other countries, and sending people from other countries to settle the land of Israel .

(Verses 11 through 21) And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. She doted on the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men. Then I saw that she was defiled, they took both one way, and that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then My mind was alienated from her, like as My mind was from her sister. Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt . For she doted upon her paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. Thus thou callest to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.

One would think that after the LORD brought judgment upon Samaria , and caused the people to be scattered over the world, Jerusalem would take notice of this, and mend her ways. But instead of doing so, she became worse and worse, so that she did far worse than had Samaria . The LORD catalogs the evils she followed after. And His mind was finally alienated from her as it had been from Samaria .

(Verses 22 through 35)Therefore, O Aholibah, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side; the Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses. And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels. Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt : so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated: and they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms. I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a-whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols. Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore I will give her cup into thine hand. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of thy sister Samaria . Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it , saith the Lord GOD. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten Me, and cast Me behind thy back, therefore bear thou all thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

In all of this the LORD says that He will bring up Jerusalem before all her former lovers, even the ones that now hate her, and against whom her mind has been alienated, and they shall judge her. She shall not have a friend among them. He will cause her to drink of the same cup of which Samaria drank. That is, He will cause her to fall in the siege, and her people will be carried away into captivity. She has gone in the way of her sister, so she shall have the same punishment. One must remember that as Ezekiel is speaking to these men who have come to him to inquire of the LORD, , the siege of Jerusalem is still in progress. So He is telling them that Jerusalem will fall, because the LORD has spoken it. It must come to pass.

(Verses 36 through 44) The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? Yea, declare unto them their abominations; that they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto Me, to pass through the fire, to devour them. Moreover this they have done unto Me: they have defiled My sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned My sabbaths. For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into My sanctuary to profane it; and. Lo, this they have done in the midst of Mine house. And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments, and satest upon a stately bed, and a table was prepared before it, whereon thou hast set Mine incense and Mine oil. And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought the Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads. Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.

The LORD calls upon Ezekiel to judge Aholah, and Aholibah. That is, Samaria and Jerusalem . Then He tells him again what they have done. And since they are to be judged as “women who break wedlock,” He speaks of the evils they have done in terms of what such women would do. They have committed adultery in that they, though His wives, have turned to prostitution and adultery. In addition to this, they have murdered their sons whom they bore to Him. They have caused these sons to “pass through the fire,” that is they have offered them as burnt sacrifices to the idol gods. Not only have they done this, but even in the same day in which they did these things, they came into His sanctuary, and profaned, or defiled it. Then they sent messengers afar to call others to come and commit adultery with them. They were not satisfied to go after the idols of the people near them, but sought others from afar. Then when these had come unto them, they had great sacrificial feasts with them in honor of the gods they worshipped. Then He asked a question, “Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?” Then He answers His own question, “Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.” This is the basis upon which Ezekiel was called upon to judge them.

(Verses 45 through 49) And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and I will give them to be removed and spoiled. And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness. And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

This is the declaration of the Lord GOD, that He will surely bring upon these two women (cities) judgment that will be so severe that they shall know that He is the Lord GOD. By bringing such upon them, He “will cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after” the lewdness of these two. For thus shall they be recompensed for their lewdness, and they shall bear the sins of their idols. Notice that with all the judgments He sends upon them, He still promises that they shall be brought to the knowledge that He is the Lord GOD.

Chapter 24

(Verses 1 through 5) Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of this day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD,; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones. Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.

It was in the ninth year of Zedekiah the king of Judah , and in the tenth month, according to Jeremiah 39:1, that Nebuchadrezzar and his army laid siege to Jerusalem . Ezekiel tells us here that not only was that true, but that it was on the tenth day of the month. And on that very day the word of the LORD came unto him, commanding him to write it, or make a record of it. (Remember that Ezekiel was not at Jerusalem , but in Babylon , among the Jews who had already been taken there as captives.) He was also commanded to set forth a parable to the rebellious house of Israel at that same time. He was to say unto them that the Lord GOD said for them to set a pot of water upon the fire, and put water in it, Then they were to put in that pot all the choice pieces of an animal, as if to cook it. For this they were to “take the choice of the flock,” that is, an animal suitable for sacrifice, although this was not intended as a sacrifice, but as a type of Jerusalem . He commanded them to burn also the bones under the pot. They were to “make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.”

(Verses 6 through 15) Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! Bring it out piece by piece: let no lot fall upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused My fury to rest upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

This pot, in which the pieces of meat have been made to boil well, is the representation of Jerusalem . Just as such a pot will have all the accumulated scum of the meat that has boiled, so is Jerusalem filled with scum, and the LORD declares “Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum has not gone out of it!” The scum has neither been poured off, nor even skimmed off. So He commands that the pieces of meat be taken out, piece by piece, but no lot is to fall upon it.” That is, it is not to be selected, but to be taken out at random, and piece by piece. This might answer to the fact that the Jews were not all taken captive at the same time: some were taken in the seventh year of Nebuchadrezzar, some in the eighteenth year, and finally those who were taken in the twenty-third year. And in addition to this some were allowed to remain in the land. The LORD charges that Jerusalem has shed blood, and has not even attempted to cover it up with dust, as the LORD had commanded. Instead, she has poured it upon the top of a rock, where it cannot be covered, making her indeed a bloody city. Therefore the LORD declares that He will “make the pile for fire great.” Then he commands, “Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.” Then He declares that she has worn herself out with lies; but her scum has not gone out of her, so it shall be in the fire. In her filthiness is lewdness. Then He says, “Because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more , till I have caused My fury to rest upon thee.” That is, He has warned her to repent of her wickedness, and has even sent upon her some severe judgments, but she would give no heed to them. Therefore there will be no more attempt to use any judgments upon her milder than the pouring out of His fury. This is somewhat similar to what our Lord Jesus said to Jerusalem , (Matt. 23:37-39) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered  thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ‘Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the LORD”’” Then the LORD declares to Jerusalem, “I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.” His determination is such that nothing shall prevent His bringing this about.

(Verses 15 through 18) Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did as I was commanded.

This seems a very strange message the LORD gave to Ezekiel. He told him that He was going to suddenly, “with a stroke, “ take from him the very desire of his eyes, his wife, and Ezekiel was neither to mourn, weep, or even shed a tear for her. Considering that the Jews were known for their loud and sometimes prolonged lamentations for their dead, this must have been a great burden to Ezekiel. But the LORD commanded him to show no signs of sorrow, not even the dressing in mourning clothes, as was the custom of his people. He was to dress himself in his usual attire, and act as if nothing had happened. Accordingly when, as the LORD had said, his wife died, he followed the LORD’S commands.

(Verses 19 through 24) And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto Me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel , Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold. I will profane My sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

When the Jews saw the conduct of Ezekiel concerning the death of his wife, they asked what the things he had done had to do with them. They, evidently, recognized that it must be some sign for them. So He told them the message that the LORD had given him. They were soon to see that the sanctuary of the LORD, His temple in Jerusalem , would be defiled, and indeed destroyed, and also the city would be destroyed, with many of its inhabitants killed, and most of the residue taken captive. And when they saw this, times would be so extremely hard that they would no more weep and mourn than did Ezekiel at the death of his wife. But they would pine away for their sins. And because of this they would be brought to know that He is the Lord GOD.

(Verses 25 through 27) Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, that he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

When the city of Jerusalem falls some shall escape, and a messenger will bring to Ezekiel the message of the fall. At that time he will be able to talk to them, and they shall understand what he has told them. They will receive him as their sign, and they shall know that the LORD is indeed the LORD.

Chapter 25

(Verses 1 through 7) The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them: and say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Because thou sadist, Aha, against My sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; behold, therefore I will stretch out Mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

Having told Jerusalem what He was going to bring upon her and Samaria , (although He had already brought this judgment upon Samaria , and was preparing to bring it upon Jerusalem ) the LORD commands Ezekiel to prophesy against the Ammonites also. His anger was stirred against them because they had so greatly rejoiced in the destruction of Israel , and would also do the same concerning Judah . Therefore because of their hatred for Israel and Judah , the LORD declared that He would deliver them into the hands of the “men of the east,” who would set their palaces and their dwellings in the land of the Ammonites. That is, they would not only invade them, and destroy their cities and houses, but settle the land themselves. Rabbah, a city of the Ammonites would be made a stable for camels, and the whole land would become a resting place for the flocks of these men of the east. The LORD declared that He would stretch out His hand upon them, deliver them for a spoil to the heathen, cut them off from the people, and cause them to be driven out of their country. Thus He would completely destroy them. That is, they would no longer be recognized as a people. He does not even speak of leaving a remnant. But His last statement to them seems to imply that there might be a few left, for He says, “And thou shalt know that I am the LORD.”

(Verses 8 through 11) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen; therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, Kiriathaim, unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. And I will execute judgments upon Moab ; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The LORD also declares judgment upon the Moabites. But His judgments upon them though severe, are not quite so great as upon the Ammonites. In fact, a part of his judgments against Moab are designed to cause the Ammonites to no longer “be remembered among the nations.” That is, as a nation they will be completely destroyed; but the judgments against Moab will be such that “they shall know that I am the LORD.

(Verses 12 through 14) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will stretch out Mine hand upon Edom, and cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to Mine anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

The LORD declares that He will take vengeance upon Edom . As all know, Edom is another name for Esau; and Ishmael and Esau are considered the progenitors of the Arabs, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are of the Israelites. The LORD says that He will cut off man and beast from Edom , and make it desolate from Teman. He then declares that He will do this by the hand of His people Israel ; “and they shall do in Edom according to My fury.” This has never taken place, and today the Arabs are a very numerous people. So, the only conclusion to which we can logically come is that this looks forward to the re-gathering of Israel, and that final battle for Jerusalem, in which the LORD will Himself fight for Israel. Then shall the Edomites know the vengeance of the Lord GOD.

(Verses 15 through 17) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out Mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay My vengeance upon them.

Here the LORD announces a message concerning the Philistines and the Cherethims, the tribes who once inhabited the seacoast between Israel and the sea. According to some who are considered authorities in such matters , there are today left none of the descendants of these tribes. They say that the nearest to the Philistines today are the Syrians, and that they cannot trace an unbroken line from them. However, we have heard that the modern Palestinians try to lay claim to that lineage. If this claim is true, then they may be the ones of whom the LORD is here speaking. And if so, this prophecy also awaits fulfillment, and will be fulfilled at the same time as that concerning Edom . When the LORD does execute His vengeance upon them they will know that He is the LORD.