LESSON 4 - Judgments Against Israel, part 2—Ezekiel 13-24

For seven years, Ezekiel warned the captive/exiles who were living with him near the capital city of Babylon that God’s judgment was coming on their nation. The exiles must have wanted to be hopeful that Judah’s fortunes would change and they would throw off the bondage to Babylon and rise to power again. The exiles would be rescued from living in a foreign land and be able to return home to rebuild their homeland. But it was not to be. Ezekiel’s message was that the kingdom of Judah would fall further than it already had. Babylon would lay siege to Jerusalem and destroy it.

One of the questions on the captives’ minds would be, “Why? What have we done to deserve this?” Ezekiel gives the answer by laying out the case against Israel.

Evidently, there were many false prophets giving another message to the people, a message to console them and tell them that times will get better. The Lord tells Ezekiel to condemn those false prophets whose words would not come to pass (chapter 13).

Many Israelites worshiped idols, so the Lord gives Ezekiel a message for them in chapter 14—“Repent!” Jerusalem is compared to a useless vine that is good for nothing except to burn in a fire (chapter 15). In a chapter filled with graphic language (chapter 16), God through Ezekiel condemns Jerusalem because he had been rejected, even though he had lavished love upon the city. He compares Jerusalem to an unwanted infant left to die, rescued by God and raised to become a beautiful daughter, who then turns to prostitution.

The Calvinistic doctrine of total hereditary depravity is refuted in chapter 18. This doctrine teaches that the sins of mankind are passed on from the previous generation, so that babies are born in sin. It does not ring true with the words of God through Ezekiel, who says that it is the soul that sins that will die (18:4, 20). If a man lives a righteous life, he is not punished.

The prophets often used laments to predict the demise of a nation. In chapter 19, Ezekiel laments Israel’s princes (rulers). The downfall of some of Israel’s rulers is set in figurative language.

Many of the chapters in this section each make up a specific oracle, a time when Ezekiel gave a prophecy. So over and over, Ezekiel is preaching against what Israel has done throughout its history, but it brings about no repentance, no change in behavior or attitude. Israel is said to be a rebellious house (20:8, 3, 21), following the ways of the nations around them instead of God (20:32). In response to this long-time rebellion, God would send Babylon to bring judgment on Israel (20:36, 21:18-24).

Ezekiel enumerates many of the sins that have deeply offended God in chapter 22:

• Jerusalem is a city of bloodshed
• Made idols
• Leaders use power to shed blood
• Dishonoring parents
• Oppressed the alien
• Mistreated the widow and orphan
• Desecrated the Sabbaths
• Eating at the mountain shrines (high places for other gods)
• Committed lewd acts
• Accepting bribes
• Charging excessive interest
• Extorting from neighbors
• Priests do not follow the law
• Unjust, corrupt officials
• Prophets who whitewash the sins of the people

Ezekiel says that the Lord looked for someone who would “stand in the gap”, which relates to standing in a gap where a wall has broken down to defend it. It probably refers to calling the nation to repentance, finding those who will do what is right even when many around them are doing what is wrong. The Lord found no one to stand in the gap.

Graphic language is used to shock the hearers in chapter 23. The nations of Israel and Judah are compared in an allegory of two sisters who engaged in prostitution. In this frank story about Israel and Judah, the sexual language is vivid, but figurative, implying political alliances not idolatrous worship (as in chap. 16). How are each people represented? Who is the true husband?

Throughout Ezekiel, 13 specific dates are given. The date in chapter 24 marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. There will be no relenting, the Lord will not change his mind (24:14). After many years of preaching, Ezekiel’s prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem begin to take place.

Also in chapter 24, the Lord reveals that Ezekiel’s wife will die, and Ezekiel is not to mourn publicly. After his wife died and the people ask Ezekiel about it, he gives a word from the Lord that the same thing will happen to their beloved land. It will be taken away, but they will not be able to mourn (24:20-24).

Open

• Could the Israelites have been as bad as these chapters make them out to be? Does the punishment seem greater than the deed? How would the Israelites have felt as they heard Ezekiel’s preaching and the punishment predicted? Do we sometimes underestimate the depth of our sin?

• Have you ever known someone or some group who would not listen to good advice about the road being traveled? No one is able to convince them that their way of life is destructive.

Examine

1. Are people generally receptive to a message of repentance? How do you feel when confronted with sin? How easy is it to deny the problem?

2. How common are the sins that God lists for the people of Israel? How much do they apply in our society? Is our society becoming better or worse? If it was Little Rock that God was speaking to, how much of what Ezekiel said would apply?

3. Is there a way to “stand in the gap” today? What is our responsibility to try to change society if we are trying to do right while many around us are not?

4. How would Ezekiel feel about the beginning of the fulfillment of his prophecies? Vindicated that he is right even when no one would listen? Sad for his people and the demise of his country?

Reflect and Apply

• What are the “gaps” in our culture where we need Christians to stand for truth and call the nation to a better way?
• Why would the Lord require Ezekiel not to mourn his wife’s death?
• Are there any sins in this nation that make us a “people of bloodshed”?