What kind of bad example were the nations of Israel and Judah? Let’s look at Ezekiel 23.
Who are the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, both harlots?
The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother; and they played the harlot in Egypt. They played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed, and there their virgin bosom was handled. Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah [her tent] and Jerusalem is Oholibah [my tent is in her]. (Ezek 23:1-4 LSB)
After what lovers did Oholah lust and what did she worship?
Oholah prostituted herself while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors, who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them handsome young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her obscene practices on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself.
She did not abandon her obscene practices from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had slept with her, and they handled her virgin breasts and poured out their obscene practice on her. Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, to the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword. So she became a subject of gossip among women, and they executed judgments on her. (Ezek 23:5-10 NASB)
After what lovers did her sister Oholibah lust and what did she worship?
Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.
But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red, with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea. As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.
When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled. (Ezek 23:11-21 NIV)
And what did God say to Oholibah, Judah and Jerusalem?
Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side: The Babylonians, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains and men of renown, All of them riding on horses. And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.
‘I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments. I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire. They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry. Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor remember Egypt anymore.’ (Ezek 23:22-27 NKJV)
Would the shame of her prostitution be exposed to all the world?
For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected. They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world. You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols. Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank. (Ezek 23:28-31 NLT)
Would Jerusalem drink deeply from the same cup as Samaria?
The Lord Yahweh says: ‘You will drink of your sister’s cup, which is deep and large. You will be ridiculed and held in derision. It contains much. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria. You will even drink it and drain it out. You will gnaw the broken pieces of it, and will tear your breasts; for I have spoken it,’ says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.’” (Ezek 23:32-35 WEB)
Was God going to judge both sisters for murdering their children and adultery?
Then the Lord said to me, Human one [Son of man], judge Oholah and Oholibah, and make known their detestable practices to them. They committed adultery, so now blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols, and they even took their children whom they had borne to me and offered them up to be consumed for them. They also did this to me: On the same day, they made my sanctuary unclean and made my sabbaths impure. When they slaughtered their children for their idols, they came into my sanctuary and made it impure on that very same day. They actually did this inside my temple. They even sent for men who came from a great distance. No sooner than a messenger was sent, they arrived! For these men you bathed, you painted your eyes, and you put on your jewelry. You took your place on a splendid couch with a richly set table in front of it, and you set my incense and my oil on it. The sound of a noisy crowd was around her. Men from the common multitude, drinkers of wine, were brought from the desert. They put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. Then I thought, For a foolish woman they become adulterers! Incited by her seduction, they prostitute themselves—for her! They come as if coming to a prostitute, first to Oholah, and then to Oholibah, those traitorous women. But men who do the right thing will judge them, and they will be punished as adulterers and murderers, because they are in fact adulterers, and blood is on their hands. (Ezek 23:36-45 CEB)
What punishment would God bring upon these two sisters?
So I, the Lord God, now say to these sisters: I will call together an angry mob that will abuse and rob you. They will stone you to death and cut you to pieces; they will kill your children and burn down your houses. I will get rid of sinful prostitution in this country, so that women everywhere will be warned not to act as you have. You will be punished for becoming prostitutes and for worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God. (Ezek 23:46-49 CEV)
Does James offer a similar analogy for following the world instead of God?
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 ESV)
What kind of bad example were the nations of Israel and Judah? You decide!
Our Bloody Cities (Ezekiel 22)
Who can possibly stop the murders in our bloody cities? Let’s begin in Ezekiel 22.
Why was Jerusalem judged by the Lord as a bloody city, a disgrace?
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations. And you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement! You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands. Those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil. (Ezek 22:1-5 NASB)
Do our national leaders oppress foreigners and mistreat the needy?
See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezek 22:6-12 NIV)
Will God punish businesses in our land that make dishonest profits?
Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 22:13-16 NKJV)
Have our people acted so badly that God would refer to them as dross?
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury. I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’” (Ezek 22:17-22 NLT)
Have our priests and prophets or religious leaders devoured souls?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained on in the day of indignation.’ There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it. Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned among them. (Ezek 22:23-26 WEB)
Have our princes or political leaders practiced extortion and committed robbery?
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice (Ezek 22:27-29 ESV)
Is there someone who can repair the wall and stand in the gap to intercede between God and man?
“I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one. So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. (Ezek 22:30-31 HCSB)
Did Jesus also refer to Jerusalem as a bloody city, murdering prophets and missionaries?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent [apostled] unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (Luke 13:34 KJV)
Is Babylon symbolic of many other cities where the blood of prophets, saints and others is shed?
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. (Rev 18:24 KJV)
Who can possibly stop the murders in our bloody cities? You decide!
Why was Jerusalem judged by the Lord as a bloody city, a disgrace?
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations. And you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement! You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands. Those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil. (Ezek 22:1-5 NASB)
Do our national leaders oppress foreigners and mistreat the needy?
See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezek 22:6-12 NIV)
Will God punish businesses in our land that make dishonest profits?
Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 22:13-16 NKJV)
Have our people acted so badly that God would refer to them as dross?
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury. I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’” (Ezek 22:17-22 NLT)
Have our priests and prophets or religious leaders devoured souls?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained on in the day of indignation.’ There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it. Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned among them. (Ezek 22:23-26 WEB)
Have our princes or political leaders practiced extortion and committed robbery?
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice (Ezek 22:27-29 ESV)
Is there someone who can repair the wall and stand in the gap to intercede between God and man?
“I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one. So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. (Ezek 22:30-31 HCSB)
Did Jesus also refer to Jerusalem as a bloody city, murdering prophets and missionaries?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent [apostled] unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (Luke 13:34 KJV)
Is Babylon symbolic of many other cities where the blood of prophets, saints and others is shed?
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. (Rev 18:24 KJV)
Who can possibly stop the murders in our bloody cities? You decide!
Sword of Judgment (Ezekiel 21)
Does God judge nations for their sins? Let’s look at two nations, Israel and Ammon in Ezekiel 21.
Would God draw out His sword from its sheath against Israel?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel. Tell the land of Israel, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore my sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. All flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword out of its sheath. It will not return any more.”’ (Ezek 21:1-5 WEB)
Would people tremble at this bad news for the nation?
You, human one [Son of man], groan in their sight; groan bitterly with trembling knees. If they ask you why you’re groaning, say to them, “Because of the news.” When it comes, every heart will despair, every hand will hang lifeless, every spirit will be listless, and urine will run down every leg. It’s coming! It will happen! This is what the Lord God says. (Ezek 21:6-7 CEB)
What was God’s warning to Jerusalem that they had ignored?
The Lord said: Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem: I have sharpened my sword to slaughter you; it is shiny and will flash like lightning! Don't celebrate— punishment is coming, because everyone has ignored my warnings. My sword has been polished; it's sharp and ready to kill.
Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Strike therefore upon your thigh. For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise the rod?” declares the Lord God. (Ezek 21:8-13 CEV)
Would men’s hearts melt, and many stumble at the great slaughter coming?
“As for you, son of man, prophesy. Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, yes, three times, the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them, that their hearts may melt, and many stumble. At all their gates I have given the glittering sword.
Ah, it is made like lightning; it is taken up for slaughter. Cut sharply to the right; set yourself to the left, wherever your face is directed. I also will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury; I the Lord have spoken.” (Ezek 21:14-17 ESV)
How did the king of Babylon decide to attack Jerusalem and not Rabbah (Amman)?
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city. Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.
For the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and observes the liver.
The answer marked Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall. It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured. (Ezek 21:18-23 HCSB)
Did the people remember their guilt and deserve punishment? Would there be a great reversal: the humble exalted, the exalted humbled?
Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Because you remembered your sins when your transgressions were uncovered, your sins are visibly evident in everything you’ve done. And since you’ve remembered them, you’ll be taken captive.
“So now, you dishonored and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come in this time of final punishment, This is what the Lord God says: ‘Remove your turban! Take off your crown! Things aren’t going to remain as they used to be. What is lowly will be exalted, and what is lofty will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I’m bringing about ruin!’ But this also will not happen until he who has authority over it arrives, because I’ll give it to him.” (Ezek 21:24-27 ISV)
What does God say to the Ammonites, an ancient people that no longer exist?
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. (Ezek 21:28-29 KJV)
Would God pour out His indignation on the Ammonites? Would they be forgotten as a people?
Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. And I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of My fury, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, craftsmen of destruction. You will be fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, have spoken.’” (Ezek 21:30-32 LSB)
Does Jesus use similar imagery when He returns to judge the nations?
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (Rev 19:15 NASB)
Does God judge nations for their sins? You decide!
Would God draw out His sword from its sheath against Israel?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel. Tell the land of Israel, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore my sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. All flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword out of its sheath. It will not return any more.”’ (Ezek 21:1-5 WEB)
Would people tremble at this bad news for the nation?
You, human one [Son of man], groan in their sight; groan bitterly with trembling knees. If they ask you why you’re groaning, say to them, “Because of the news.” When it comes, every heart will despair, every hand will hang lifeless, every spirit will be listless, and urine will run down every leg. It’s coming! It will happen! This is what the Lord God says. (Ezek 21:6-7 CEB)
What was God’s warning to Jerusalem that they had ignored?
The Lord said: Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem: I have sharpened my sword to slaughter you; it is shiny and will flash like lightning! Don't celebrate— punishment is coming, because everyone has ignored my warnings. My sword has been polished; it's sharp and ready to kill.
Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Strike therefore upon your thigh. For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise the rod?” declares the Lord God. (Ezek 21:8-13 CEV)
Would men’s hearts melt, and many stumble at the great slaughter coming?
“As for you, son of man, prophesy. Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, yes, three times, the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them, that their hearts may melt, and many stumble. At all their gates I have given the glittering sword.
Ah, it is made like lightning; it is taken up for slaughter. Cut sharply to the right; set yourself to the left, wherever your face is directed. I also will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury; I the Lord have spoken.” (Ezek 21:14-17 ESV)
How did the king of Babylon decide to attack Jerusalem and not Rabbah (Amman)?
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city. Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.
For the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and observes the liver.
The answer marked Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall. It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured. (Ezek 21:18-23 HCSB)
Did the people remember their guilt and deserve punishment? Would there be a great reversal: the humble exalted, the exalted humbled?
Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Because you remembered your sins when your transgressions were uncovered, your sins are visibly evident in everything you’ve done. And since you’ve remembered them, you’ll be taken captive.
“So now, you dishonored and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come in this time of final punishment, This is what the Lord God says: ‘Remove your turban! Take off your crown! Things aren’t going to remain as they used to be. What is lowly will be exalted, and what is lofty will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I’m bringing about ruin!’ But this also will not happen until he who has authority over it arrives, because I’ll give it to him.” (Ezek 21:24-27 ISV)
What does God say to the Ammonites, an ancient people that no longer exist?
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. (Ezek 21:28-29 KJV)
Would God pour out His indignation on the Ammonites? Would they be forgotten as a people?
Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. And I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of My fury, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, craftsmen of destruction. You will be fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, have spoken.’” (Ezek 21:30-32 LSB)
Does Jesus use similar imagery when He returns to judge the nations?
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (Rev 19:15 NASB)
Does God judge nations for their sins? You decide!
Bad Citizens (Ezekiel 20)
Are ordinary people also to blame for a nation’s problems? Let’s look at Ezekiel 20.
Would God listen to rebellious and apostate leaders of the nation?
In the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh, and sat before me. Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’ (Ezek 20:1-3 WEB)
What did God demand that each citizen of the land do?
Son of man, bring charges against them and condemn them. Make them realize how detestable the sins of their ancestors really were. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the Lord, would be their God.
I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere. Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, get rid of the vile images you are so obsessed with. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for I am the Lord your God.’ (Ezek 20:4-7 NLT)
What sins did the people commit in the land of Egypt?
But they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me. No one cast off their disgusting things or abandoned their Egyptian idols. So I declared that I would pour out my wrath on them and satisfy my anger against them in the land of Egypt. But I acted for my name’s sake, so that it wouldn’t be degraded in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, and in whose sight I made it known that I would lead them out of the land of Egypt. (Ezek 20:8-9 CEB)
Did Israel fare any better in obeying God once they were freed from Egyptian slavery?
So I brought them out and led them into the desert. I gave them my laws and teachings, so they would know how to live right. And I commanded them to respect the Sabbath as a way of showing that they were holy and belonged to me. But the Israelites rebelled against me in the desert. They refused to obey my laws and teachings, and they treated the Sabbath like any other day. Then in my anger, I decided to destroy the Israelites in the desert once and for all. (Ezek 20:10-13 CEV)
Did the people continue worshipping idols even though they were freed in the desert?
But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands, because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless, my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make a full end of them in the wilderness. (Ezek 20:14-17 ESV)
What did God want to do with the people who rebelled against Him in the wilderness?
Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances. I am Yahweh your God. Follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
But the children rebelled against Me. They did not follow My statutes or carefully keep My ordinances—the person who does them will live by them. They also profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them and exhausting My anger against them in the wilderness. (Ezek 20:18-21 HCSB)
What disgusting things did the people do that God decided to scatter them among the nations?
But I withdrew my decision so my reputation wouldn’t be tarnished among the nations before whose eyes I brought them out. Furthermore, I solemnly swore in the wilderness to disperse them among the nations and scatter them to other lands because they didn’t observe my ordinances. Instead, they rejected my statutes, profaned my Sabbaths, and worshipped their ancestors’ idols.
So I gave them statutes that weren’t good and ordinances by which they could not live. I made them unclean because of their offerings, so they made all their firstborn to pass through the fire, so that I could make them astonished. Then they’ll know that I am the Lord.” (Ezek 20:22-26 ISV)
Did the people offer pagan sacrifices on every high hill to their idols?
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 there their drink offerings. Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day. (Ezek 20:27-29 KJV)
Did the people want to be just like other nations instead of faithful to God?
Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? And when you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. And what comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to minister to wood and stone.’ (Ezek 20:30-32 LSB)
Will there be another Exodus out of this world and another covenant?
“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I assuredly shall be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.
Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge from you the rebels and those who revolt against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside, but they will not enter the land of Israel. So you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 20:33-38 NASB)
What further does the Lord say to the people of Israel?
“‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them.
There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.
Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors. There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (Ezek 20:39-44 NIV)
Did God prophesy against the southern kingdom of Judah, that her forests would be burned up? Are there many forests in southern Israel today? Did the people take this literally or excuse it as a parable or allegory?
Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South, 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. All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ” (Ezek 20:45-49 NKJV)
Is this a warning for us today not to harden our hearts like them?
Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Heb 3:15 NLT)
Are ordinary people also to blame for a nation’s problems? You decide!
Would God listen to rebellious and apostate leaders of the nation?
In the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh, and sat before me. Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’ (Ezek 20:1-3 WEB)
What did God demand that each citizen of the land do?
Son of man, bring charges against them and condemn them. Make them realize how detestable the sins of their ancestors really were. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the Lord, would be their God.
I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere. Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, get rid of the vile images you are so obsessed with. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for I am the Lord your God.’ (Ezek 20:4-7 NLT)
What sins did the people commit in the land of Egypt?
But they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me. No one cast off their disgusting things or abandoned their Egyptian idols. So I declared that I would pour out my wrath on them and satisfy my anger against them in the land of Egypt. But I acted for my name’s sake, so that it wouldn’t be degraded in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, and in whose sight I made it known that I would lead them out of the land of Egypt. (Ezek 20:8-9 CEB)
Did Israel fare any better in obeying God once they were freed from Egyptian slavery?
So I brought them out and led them into the desert. I gave them my laws and teachings, so they would know how to live right. And I commanded them to respect the Sabbath as a way of showing that they were holy and belonged to me. But the Israelites rebelled against me in the desert. They refused to obey my laws and teachings, and they treated the Sabbath like any other day. Then in my anger, I decided to destroy the Israelites in the desert once and for all. (Ezek 20:10-13 CEV)
Did the people continue worshipping idols even though they were freed in the desert?
But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands, because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless, my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make a full end of them in the wilderness. (Ezek 20:14-17 ESV)
What did God want to do with the people who rebelled against Him in the wilderness?
Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances. I am Yahweh your God. Follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
But the children rebelled against Me. They did not follow My statutes or carefully keep My ordinances—the person who does them will live by them. They also profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them and exhausting My anger against them in the wilderness. (Ezek 20:18-21 HCSB)
What disgusting things did the people do that God decided to scatter them among the nations?
But I withdrew my decision so my reputation wouldn’t be tarnished among the nations before whose eyes I brought them out. Furthermore, I solemnly swore in the wilderness to disperse them among the nations and scatter them to other lands because they didn’t observe my ordinances. Instead, they rejected my statutes, profaned my Sabbaths, and worshipped their ancestors’ idols.
So I gave them statutes that weren’t good and ordinances by which they could not live. I made them unclean because of their offerings, so they made all their firstborn to pass through the fire, so that I could make them astonished. Then they’ll know that I am the Lord.” (Ezek 20:22-26 ISV)
Did the people offer pagan sacrifices on every high hill to their idols?
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 there their drink offerings. Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day. (Ezek 20:27-29 KJV)
Did the people want to be just like other nations instead of faithful to God?
Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? And when you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. And what comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to minister to wood and stone.’ (Ezek 20:30-32 LSB)
Will there be another Exodus out of this world and another covenant?
“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I assuredly shall be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.
Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge from you the rebels and those who revolt against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside, but they will not enter the land of Israel. So you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 20:33-38 NASB)
What further does the Lord say to the people of Israel?
“‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them.
There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.
Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors. There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (Ezek 20:39-44 NIV)
Did God prophesy against the southern kingdom of Judah, that her forests would be burned up? Are there many forests in southern Israel today? Did the people take this literally or excuse it as a parable or allegory?
Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South, 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. All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ” (Ezek 20:45-49 NKJV)
Is this a warning for us today not to harden our hearts like them?
Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Heb 3:15 NLT)
Are ordinary people also to blame for a nation’s problems? You decide!
Bad Leaders (Ezekiel 19)
Is this world’s leadership just doomed to fail without God? Let’s begin in Ezekiel 19.
Did Egypt trap king Jehoahaz like a lion in a pit, ending his brief reign?
Moreover take thou 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 also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. (Ezek 19:1-4 KJV)
Is a second lion like Jehoiachin who becomes even more fearsome, terrifying the land. Does Babylon cage him, so his roar is never again heard on Israel’s mountains?
Then she saw, as she waited, That her hope was lost, So she took another of her cubs And made him a young lion. And he walked about among the lions; He became a young lion; He learned to tear his prey; He devoured men. He knew how to destroy their fortified towers And laid waste their cities; And the land was in desolation, as well as its fullness Because of the sound of his roaring.
Then nations put themselves against him All around from their provinces, And they spread their net over him; He was captured in their pit. They put him in a cage with hooks And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in hunting nets So that his voice would be heard no more On the mountains of Israel. (Ezek 19:5-9 LSB)
Was Zedekiah like a dried up vine, planted by the waters, uprooted in anger, thrown to the ground, and scorched by an east wind, destroying the last branch?
Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, Planted by the waters; It was fruitful and thick with branches Because of abundant waters. And it had strong stems fit for scepters of rulers, And its height was raised above the clouds So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
But it was uprooted in fury; It was thrown down to the ground; And the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong stem was torn out So that it withered; The fire consumed it. And now it is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land. And fire has gone out from its stem; It has consumed its shoots and fruit, So that there is no strong stem in it, A scepter to rule.’”
This is a song of mourning, and has become a song of mourning. (Ezek 19:10-14 NASB)
Is there leadership we can trust, Jesus THE lion of the tribe of Judah, who will triumph?
I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals (Rev 5:4-5 NIV)
Is there a leader we can trust, Jesus the true vine, in whom we can abide and bear fruit?
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:1-4 NKJV)
Is this world’s leadership just doomed to fail without God? You decide!
Did Egypt trap king Jehoahaz like a lion in a pit, ending his brief reign?
Moreover take thou 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 also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. (Ezek 19:1-4 KJV)
Is a second lion like Jehoiachin who becomes even more fearsome, terrifying the land. Does Babylon cage him, so his roar is never again heard on Israel’s mountains?
Then she saw, as she waited, That her hope was lost, So she took another of her cubs And made him a young lion. And he walked about among the lions; He became a young lion; He learned to tear his prey; He devoured men. He knew how to destroy their fortified towers And laid waste their cities; And the land was in desolation, as well as its fullness Because of the sound of his roaring.
Then nations put themselves against him All around from their provinces, And they spread their net over him; He was captured in their pit. They put him in a cage with hooks And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in hunting nets So that his voice would be heard no more On the mountains of Israel. (Ezek 19:5-9 LSB)
Was Zedekiah like a dried up vine, planted by the waters, uprooted in anger, thrown to the ground, and scorched by an east wind, destroying the last branch?
Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, Planted by the waters; It was fruitful and thick with branches Because of abundant waters. And it had strong stems fit for scepters of rulers, And its height was raised above the clouds So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
But it was uprooted in fury; It was thrown down to the ground; And the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong stem was torn out So that it withered; The fire consumed it. And now it is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land. And fire has gone out from its stem; It has consumed its shoots and fruit, So that there is no strong stem in it, A scepter to rule.’”
This is a song of mourning, and has become a song of mourning. (Ezek 19:10-14 NASB)
Is there leadership we can trust, Jesus THE lion of the tribe of Judah, who will triumph?
I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals (Rev 5:4-5 NIV)
Is there a leader we can trust, Jesus the true vine, in whom we can abide and bear fruit?
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:1-4 NKJV)
Is this world’s leadership just doomed to fail without God? You decide!
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