God refuse to be consulted by the elders of Israel. 5 He show the story of their rebellions in Egypt, 10 in the wilderness, 27 and in the land. 33 He promise to gather them by the gospel. 45 Under the name of a forest he shows the destruction of Jerusalem.
Eze 20:1 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.
Eze 20:2 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 20:3 “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.” ‘
Eze 20:4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.
Eze 20:5 “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.’
Eze 20:6 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.
Eze 20:7 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.’
Eze 20:8 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.’
Eze 20:9 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.
Eze 20:10 “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
Eze 20:11 And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’
Eze 20:12 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.
Eze 20:13 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.
Eze 20:14 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.
Eze 20:15 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,
Eze 20:16 because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.
Eze 20:17 Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
Eze 20:18 “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.
Eze 20:19 I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;
Eze 20:20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’
Eze 20:21 “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.
Eze 20:22 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.
Eze 20:23 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,
Eze 20:24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
Eze 20:25 “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;
Eze 20:26 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.” ‘
Eze 20:27 “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.
Eze 20:28 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.
Eze 20:29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ‘
Eze 20:30 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?
Eze 20:31 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.
Eze 20:32 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.’
The Lord Will Restore Israel
Eze 20:33 “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.
Eze 20:34 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.
Eze 20:35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face.
Eze 20:36 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.
Eze 20:37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
Eze 20:38 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.
Eze 20:39 “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.
Eze 20:40 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.
Eze 20:41 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.
Eze 20:42 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.
Eze 20:43 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.
Eze 20:44 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.’ ”
Eze 20:45 Furthermore the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 20:46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,
Eze 20:47 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.
Eze 20:48 All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ‘ ”
Eze 20:49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ”
Eze 20:1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
1. The seventh year. Of Jehoiachin’s captivity (see on ch. 1:2), that is, 591/590 b.c. (see p. 568). This new date applies to chs. 20:1 to 23:49 (see ch. 24:1).
The unity of the new series of messages is shown by the threefold repetition of the expression “wilt thou judge” (chs. 20:4; 22:2; 23:36).
Came to enquire. The nature of their inquiry is not disclosed. No doubt they wished to know what message the Lord had to give them in this present crisis.
Eze 20:2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
Eze 20:3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
3. I will not be enquired of. God never withholds light from the honest seeker. But if the inquirer refuses to walk in the light already revealed, it is presumptuous to ask for more. Men frequently seek for more light in the hope of avoiding some unpleasant duty that God is asking them to perform (2 Thess. 2:10, 11).
Eze 20:4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
4. Cause them to know. The prophet is directed to recount Israel’s past history. With this chapter may be compared Neh. 1, Ps. 78, and the speech of Stephen recorded in Acts 7.
Eze 20:5 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;
5. Thus saith the Lord. Verses 5–9 are a discussion of the Egyptian period of Israel’s history.
When I chose. See Deut. 4:37; 7:7.
Lifted up mine hand. The sign of an oath (see Gen. 14:22; Deut. 32:40; Rev. 10:5, 6). The same expression occurs in Eze. 20:6, 15, 23, 42.
Made myself known. See Ex. 4:29–31.
Eze 20:6 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:
6. Milk and honey. See on Ex. 3:8.
Glory of all lands. A descriptive phrase used only by Ezekiel. Isaiah calls Babylon “the glory of kingdoms” (Isa. 13:19).
Eze 20:7 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.
Eze 20:8 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.
8. Rebelled against me. History does not directly mention such a revolt in Egypt. However, the propensity of the people toward the idolatrous customs of Egypt is alluded to in Joshua 24:14; cf. PP 259. When the opportunity came to leave Egypt, many were reluctant to go (PP 260).
Eze 20:9 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.
9. For my name’s sake. Here is given the ground of God’s gracious dealings. The people were not to flatter themselves that any goodness of their own had merited these favors (see Num. 14:11–20; Deut. 9:28; Jer. 14:7, 21).
Eze 20:10 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
10. Into the wilderness. Verses 10–22 review the second period of Israel’s history, namely, the life in the wilderness.
Eze 20:11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
11. Live in them. Compare Gal. 3:12. From Eze. 20:11 we must not conclude that all that was required was an outward, technical, and perfunctory keeping of certain definite precepts. God wished that man’s obedience should be prompted by love and by an intelligent appreciation of God’s character.
However, through lack of spiritual training Israel was not at first able to enter this higher relationship. Nevertheless God planned to lead the people into such an experience as rapidly as possible. It was never His purpose that throughout the OT period men should have such a limited grasp of the plan of salvation (see on ch. 16:60).
Eze 20:12 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.
12. I gave them my sabbaths. Not that the Sabbath was first instituted at Sinai, for it had existed since creation (Gen. 2:1–3); but it was there commanded anew. The word “remember” in the fourth commandment implies its earlier existence (see Ex. 16:22–28; PP 258). The Decalogue (Ex. 20:8–11) presents the great facts of the creation history as the basis for the Sabbath. God created “heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is” in six literal days (see on Gen. 1:5). On the seventh day He rested, and set the day apart as the day of rest for all mankind (Mark 2:27). The observance of the Sabbath is then a mark, or sign, that he who honors the day acknowledges Jehovah as his God, for only to Him do these facts of creation apply.
The observance of the day does not rest upon any natural division of time into weekly cycles, but upon an express command of God, and belief in His revelation. Men may reason that the salutary purposes of the Sabbath could be as readily realized upon another day. However, God has specified a particular day. He has bidden us to keep it holy, free from worldly pursuits and personal pleasures (Isa. 58:13). This obligation men cannot with impunity escape.
The prophecies of Rev. 12–14 make it clear that the Sabbath will be the point especially controverted in the days preceding the coming of the Son of man (see GC 605). God’s remnant will be distinguished by their observance of the commandments of God (Rev. 12:17; 14:12), including the Sabbath command. At the same time apostate religious powers will exalt a false sabbath and demand allegiance to it. Men will be called upon to decide between the Sabbath of the Lord and the substitute sabbath, or first day of the week. The keeping of the Sabbath will thus again become a distinctive test and constitute a sign (called a seal, Rev. 7) of true worshipers (see GC 640).
Eze 20:13 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 even 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.
13. Rebelled against me. For a historical example of Israel’s rebellion against God’s commandments in the wilderness see Ex. 32:1–6. Of the violation of the Sabbath there are two recorded instances (Ex. 16:27; Num. 15:32).
Eze 20:14 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
14. For my name’s sake. For His name’s sake God did not completely destroy the people, but merely excluded that generation from the possession of Canaan (Num. 14:29–33). For references to idolatries in their desert wanderings see Amos 5:25, 26; Acts 7:42, 43.
Eze 20:15 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;
Eze 20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
Eze 20:17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
NEXT TIME Verses 18–26 review the third part of Israel’s history—the generation that grew up in the wilderness under the influence of the legislation and institutions given at Sinai. The people were earnestly warned to avoid the sins of their fathers. That generation was the target audience for Deuteronomy’s speeches.