Thursday
Evening Bible Study
September 29, 2005
Ezekiel 20
:1-4 Elders Inquiring
:1 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth
day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel
came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
This prophecy comes on August 14,
591 BC, almost 11 months after the last date mentioned (back in
Eze. 8:1).
Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet.
Part of his “job” or “ministry” was speaking to the people for God.
We aren’t told what question the elders ask. And God isn’t going to answer their question
either.
:2 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
:3 "Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel,
and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Have you come to inquire of Me?
As I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will not be inquired of by
you."'
:4 "Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make
known to them the abominations of their fathers.
Lesson
Dealing with loose ends
They have some unfinished business.
Before they are going to hear from God about the things they’re interested
in, God is going to challenge them with some things they haven’t dealt with
yet.
Illustration
I have been trading e-mails with a gal that a friend has
been witnessing to. She is not a
Christian and she admits it. She has
lots and lots of great questions. I find
it refreshing. But there’s a sense in
which she wants to know answers to some things that frankly I don’t think she
needs to worry about. She wants to know
what kinds of things she’s going to need to give up if she becomes a
Christian. She’s worried about losing her
old friends and worried she won’t find new ones. She’s worried about how to help people in her
life that are going through some trouble of their own. You and I know that God will take care of
those things in her life, and He will have some wonderful surprises for
her. But she needs to deal with the big
issue first – giving her heart to Jesus.
For some of us, there are also some things that we need to deal with,
lessons we need to learn. It’s kind of
like going to elementary school. We hope
that if we skip “second grade” that we can just move on into third grade
without any problems. I find that when a
person wants to “skip a grade”, they still get sent back to repeat it until
they learn it.
Learn the lessons in front of you.
Deal with unfinished business.
:5-31 History of Rebelling
:5 "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day when I
chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of
Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in
an oath to them, saying, 'I am the LORD your God.'
:6 "On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out
of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, 'flowing
with milk and honey,' the glory of all lands.
God made a promise to the people of Israel
that He would do some wonderful things for them. He asked them to do something for Him in
return.
:7 "Then I said to them, 'Each of you, throw away the abominations
which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.
I am the LORD your God.'
God asked them to forsake their other “gods”.
:8 "But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not
all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they
forsake the idols of Egypt.
Then I said, 'I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them
in the midst of the land of Egypt.'
They did not obey God.
:9 "But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned
before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself
known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
:10 "Therefore I made them go out of the land
of Egypt and brought them into the
wilderness.
God was gracious and didn’t destroy them – He didn’t want His name profaned
by the Egyptians.
:11 "And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, 'which,
if a man does, he shall live by them.'
God gave Moses His laws in the wilderness.
:12 "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them
and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
The Sabbath laws are a “sign” for the nation of Israel.
:13 "Yet the house of Israel
rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they
despised My judgments, 'which, if a man does, he shall live by them'; and they
greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in
the wilderness, to consume them.
The people again did not obey God.
:14 "But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned
before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
:15 "So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness,
that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, 'flowing with
milk and honey,' the glory of all lands,
:16 "because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My
statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.
:17 "Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make
an end of them in the wilderness.
At first God wasn’t going to bring them into the Promised Land …
(Ezek 20:15 KJV) 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;
Then God decided to be gracious once again…
:18 "But I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in
the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile
yourselves with their idols.
:19 'I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do
them;
:20 'hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that
you may know that I am the LORD your God.'
Again God exhorts the people to follow His ways.
:21 "Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not
walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, 'which, if a
man does, he shall live by them'; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I
would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the
wilderness.
But they again rejected God.
:22 "Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name's sake,
that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I
had brought them out.
:23 "Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that
I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the
countries,
:24 "because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My
statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers'
idols.
God warned the people back in Moses’ time that if they did not obey Him,
that He would scatter them among the Gentile nations.
(Lev 26:33 KJV)
And I will scatter you among the
heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate,
and your cities waste.
:25 "Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and
judgments by which they could not live;
God would turn them over to the statutes of the other nations and gods that
they had turned towards (whose statutes were not good).
:26 "and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in
that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might
make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD."'
These were some of the “statutes” that these pagan religions practiced.
:27 "Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel,
and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "In this too your fathers have
blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.
:28 "When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised
My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the
thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their
offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink
offerings.
:29 "Then I said to them, 'What is this high place to which you go?'
So its name is called Bamah to this day."'
high place – bamah – high
place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform)
Bamah – Bamah – “high
place”
:30 "Therefore say to the house of Israel,
'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of
your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations?
:31 "For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the
fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I
be inquired of by you, O house of Israel?
As I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will not be inquired of by you.
Lesson
God’s patience
We can get the idea that in the Old Testament God was full of wrath and
judgment.
But think of how long this all took.
Moses lived around the year 1400 BC.
The judgment came in 586 BC.
That’s 800 years.
Think of how many times the nation fell away from God.
When we read through the book of Judges it gets a little discouraging
seeing how many times the people followed God, then fell away, then fell into
bondage, then returned back to God. Over
and over again.
And then the same cycle repeats itself as one king after another rules over
the nation.
God is very, very patient.
(2 Pet 3:9 NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentance.
We too ought to be patient with each other.
(1 Cor 13:4 NKJV) Love suffers
long and is kind…
It’s the same Greek word used in 2Pet. 3:9.
:32-44 Restoration Promised
:32 "What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, 'We will
be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and
stone.'
Lesson
Like everyone else
We get ourselves into so much trouble when we try to hard to be like other
people.
There are the harmless things – like clothes and fashion – who ever came up
with the idea of plaid pants, paisley shirts, and platform shoes – for
men? Yet that’s what we wore in high
school. We like to tease one of my sons
who wants to wear his hair a little longer than his brothers – but we don’t let
him see any pictures of me in high school.
But sometimes we get into trouble with how we want to be like other people.
For God’s people, they wanted to worship other “gods”.
It makes me think of how we as a “Christian” nation have gone after other
religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and all sorts of goofy things.
It’s not a bad thing to examine how we are influenced by others.
:33 "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "surely with a mighty
hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.
:34 "I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the
countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched
arm, and with fury poured out.
Lesson
God dares to discipline
Though they wanted to be like every other nation, God would not let them
(vs. 32 – “what you have in your mind shall never be …”)
Sometimes as parents we have a hard time saying “no” to our kids.
(Prov 13:24 NKJV) He who spares his rod hates his son, But he
who loves him disciplines him promptly.
God cares enough about us to discipline us.
(Heb 12:5-11 NKJV) And you have forgotten the exhortation which
speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the
LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; {6} For whom the LORD
loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." {7} If you
endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom
a father does not chasten? {8} But if you are without chastening, of which all
have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. {9} Furthermore,
we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we
not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? {10}
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for
our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. {11} Now no chastening
seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it
yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by
it.
The hurricanes that have recently hit the United
States – are they God’s judgment? Maybe it would be better to look at them as
God’s discipline – He loves us enough to chasten us to help us go the right
direction.
:35 "And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and
there I will plead My case with you face to face.
:36 "Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of
the land of Egypt,
so I will plead My case with you," says the Lord GOD.
:37 "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the
bond of the covenant;
pass under the rod – the method used by shepherds to count and
inspect their flocks, separating his sheep from those of other flocks that have
mingled with his sheep. Only the
shepherd’s sheep are allowed into the shepherd’s fold where he will protect
them.
:38 "I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress
against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they
shall not enter the land of Israel.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
The “rebels” wouldn’t be allowed back into the Promised Land.
:39 "As for you, O house of Israel," thus says the Lord GOD:
"Go, serve every one of you his idols; and hereafter; if you will not obey
me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.
(Ezek 20:39 NLT)
"As for you, O people of Israel,
this is what the Sovereign LORD says: If you insist, go right ahead and worship
your idols, but then don't turn around and bring gifts to me. Such desecration
of my holy name must stop!
If you are not going to obey God, go ahead, but just don’t pretend to be a
God-follower while you’re doing it.
:40 "For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,"
says the Lord GOD, "there all the house of Israel, all of them in the
land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your
offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy
things.
:41 "I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the
peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and
I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.
God wants to be treated as “holy” in front of the Gentiles. He wants His people to show the world what He
is like – that He is good.
(Mat 5:14-16 NKJV) "You are the light of the world. A city
that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. {15} "Nor do they light a lamp and
put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in
the house. {16} "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
:42 "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the
land of Israel,
into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.
:43 "And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with
which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight
because of all the evils that you have committed.
:44 "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with
you for My name's sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your
corrupt doings, O house of Israel," says the Lord GOD.'"
Has this time of restoration occurred?
There is a sense in which the Jews that repopulated the land during the
days of Ezra and Nehemiah were good Jews.
The Jews for the most part left their worship of their many idols.
But in the fullest sense, this has not yet happened. It will happen after Jesus comes back and He
sets up His kingdom on earth, ruling from Israel.
:45-49 Forest Fire in the South
:45 Furthermore the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
In the Hebrew Bible, this verse is actually the first verse of chapter 21 –
they felt that it was better placed as an introduction to the prophecies in the
next chapter.
:46 "Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the
south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,
:47 "and say to the forest of the South, 'Hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall
devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not
be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.
A fire in the southland. Sounds like
California in September.
But it’s really talking about the coming final Babylonian invasion.
Ezekiel uses three different words for “south” in verse 46.
The first word is “Teman” – which could refer to the city of Teman,
of the land of Edom.
The second word is “Darom” is used 12 other times in Scripture, all to
refer to the temple.
The third word is “Negev” which usually refers to
the area of southern Judah
where the cities of Arad, Kadesh
Barnea, and Beersheba are.
:48 "All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall
not be quenched."' "
:49 Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, 'Does he not speak
parables?'"
Ezekiel seems to be commenting to God saying, “It seems they keep saying to
me that I’m always speaking in riddles …”
Is Ezekiel speaking symbolically here?
It seems so.
Ezekiel 21
:1-7 Sword and Sighing
:1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
:2 "Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem,
preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land
of Israel;
:3 "and say to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold,
I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both
righteous and wicked from you.
:4 "Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you,
therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to
north,
:5 "that all flesh may know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword out
of its sheath; it shall not return anymore."'
:6 "Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with
bitterness before their eyes.
Ezekiel’s ministry wasn’t just in the words he spoke. He often delivered messages through his
actions as well.
Such as when he cut his hair and some hair was burned, other hair was
scattered to the wind, some hair was tucked into his belt, representing how the
people in Jerusalem were going to be killed or scattered, while some remained
hidden and protected by God.
Such as when he lay on his side for a certain number of days, representing
the judgment coming on the nation.
:7 "And it shall be when they say to you, 'Why are you sighing?' that
you shall answer, 'Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt,
all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak
as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,' says the Lord
GOD."
Even though the “sighing” was to be a picture of how the people would be
responding to the news about Jerusalem’s
destruction, it was important that Ezekiel portray the message correctly. The
people would be “sighing”, not “laughing”.
Lesson
Representing God correctly
You are a representative of God.
People will look at you and get a glimpse of how God works, what God
thinks.
Do I represent God correctly?
Moses at Meribah. Moses was ticked
off at the people for constantly complaining about their situation. When they complained about the lack of water,
God said to “speak to the Rock” and water would be provided. But Moses went beyond what God had said. Moses earlier had struck the Rock to make
water come out again, and since he was so frustrated with the people, he struck
the Rock this second time.
I believe that God had been trying to paint a picture of
Jesus with the Rock. Jesus would be
“struck” in that He died for our sins.
And after He died, all we need is to “speak” to Him in faith to receive
help. But Moses smeared the picture.
(Num 20:12 NKJV) Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,
"Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children
of Israel,
therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given
them."
For those of us who are Christians, people will see us as God’s
representatives.
:8-17 The Sword against Jerusalem
:8 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
:9 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD!' Say: 'A sword,
a sword is sharpened And also polished!
It will be a sharp sword (Babylon).
:10 Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, Polished to flash like
lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My Son, As it
does all wood.
scepter – shebet – rod,
staff, branch, offshoot, club, scepter tribe
Not an easy verse to understand.
There are lots of different ideas.
It might refer to God’s rod of discipline, that the people despised the
discipline of the Lord.
It probably refers to the scepter of the kings – that the sword (Babylon)
despised the kings (scepter) of Judah
– this actually fits best with the context, verse 13.
:11 And He has given it to be polished, That it may be handled; This sword
is sharpened, and it is polished To be given into the hand of the slayer.'
:12 "Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people,
Against all the princes of Israel.
Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your
thigh.
:13 "Because it is a testing, And what if the sword despises even the
scepter? The scepter shall be no more," says the Lord GOD.
The sword of Babylon will be
stronger than the scepter of Jerusalem.
:14 "You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together.
The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, The
sword that slays the great men, That enters their private chambers.
:15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That the
heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah! It is made bright; It is grasped for
slaughter:
:16 "Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left;
Wherever your edge is ordered!
:17 "I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to
rest; I, the LORD, have spoken."
:18-27 To Jerusalem
or Rabbah?
:18 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying:
:19 "And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of
the king of Babylon to go; both of
them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road
to the city.
When Jerusalem rebelled against
Babylon in 588 BC, it was actually
one of three cities to rebel against Babylon: Tyre,
Riblah, and Jerusalem. As Nebuchadnezzar was heading south from his
main headquarters at Riblah, he could head west and take on the city of Tyre. He could continue south and mouth towards the
coast and attack Jerusalem, or he
could stay inland and head down the Jordan
valley to Riblah. Tyre
would be too difficult, though he would eventually come back and attack
it. So he heads south and has to decide
which of the other two he would take on.
:20 "Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites,
and to Judah,
into fortified Jerusalem.
The Ammonites lived to the east of the nation of Judah,
in modern Jordan. The capital of Jordan
is Amman (not a coincidence), which
is also the same as the ancient capital city of the Ammonites, Rabbah. The Ammonites were descendants of Lot
through one of his daughters. They were
perennial enemies of the nation of Israel
and Judah.
:21 "For the king of Babylon
stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use
divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the
liver.
Ezekiel is giving a blow-by-blow of the coming Babylonian invasion. He’s supposed to show the people that
Nebuchadnezzar is standing at a fork in the road. Should he go to Jerusalem
and wipe it out or should he choose Rabbah, the capital of the Ammonites.
It sounds as if Nebuchadnezzar has no real plan as to how he will
invade. He resorts to “divination”, to
ask help from the gods as to know which city to attack first.
Divination involves reading “signs”, like palm-reading or reading tea
leaves.
Nebuchadnezzar’s divinations involve arrows – probably like drawing
straws. Two arrows would be placed in a
quiver with the name of a city on each arrow.
Whichever fell out of the quiver would be the object of the attack.
The images – something to do with little statues – who knows what happened
– maybe even contacting demonic spirits.
The liver – called hepatoscopy – an animal was sacrificed and it’s liver
was examined by soothsayers. By looking
at the shape and markings on the liver, they could supposedly decide whether or
not their choice was an acceptable one or not.
Lesson
Warning!
God does not approve the use of divination:
(Lev 19:26
NKJV) …nor shall you practice divination or
soothsaying.
Astrology, tarot cards, fortune tellers are all forms of
this junk.
(Isa 8:19
NKJV) And when they say to you, "Seek those
who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people
seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
God wants us to seek Him rather than “signs”.
Lesson
God can get things done
Even though God does not approve these things, because Nebuchadnezzar was a
pagan man, God will accommodate him by using these things and getting
Nebuchadnezzar to attack Jerusalem.
I think that sometimes we worry about how God’s message or will is going to
be heard or done.
Yet sometimes God will use the most amazing things to speak to people.
I’ve heard lots of stories about how God would use some secular TV show or
movie to speak to people. Does that mean
that we should watch more TV or see more movies because God might speak through
them? No – but it means that God can use
all sorts of things to get people’s attention.
God spoke to the prophet Balaam through a donkey. Kind of interesting considering that he was
supposed to be a prophet. Yet God
rebuked Balaam through the donkey.
This doesn’t relieve us of our responsibility to share with people. But just keep in mind that God can use all
sorts of things.
:22 "In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up
battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice with shouting, to
set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a
wall.
:23 "And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of
those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to
remembrance, that they may be taken.
:24 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have made your
iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that
in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to remembrance, you
shall be taken in hand.
:25 'Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel,
whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,
This is speaking of King Zedekiah.
:26 'thus says the Lord GOD: "Remove the turban, and take off the
crown; Nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.
:27 Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no
longer, Until He comes whose right it is, And I will give it to Him."'
:28-32 Ammonites to be destroyed too
:28 "And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD
concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,' and say: 'A sword, a
sword is drawn, Polished for slaughter, For consuming, for flashing;
The Ammonites would think that they had escaped the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar
when they saw him attacking Jerusalem.
:29 While they see false visions for you, While they divine a lie to you,
To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain Whose day has come, Whose
iniquity shall end.
:30 'Return it to its sheath. I will judge you In the place where you were
created, In the land of your nativity.
:31 I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow against you with the
fire of My wrath, And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful
to destroy.
:32 You shall be fuel for the fire; Your blood shall be in the midst of the
land. You shall not be remembered, For I the LORD have spoken.'"
Ammonites would not escape judgment.