Ezekiel 20

30–31 Here the Lord brings His message up to the present. He asks the elders, in effect: “Are you not rebelling against me just as your fathers did?” (verse 30). Yes, they are. Then the Lord says that because of their rebellious hearts He will not let them inquire of Him (see Ezekiel 14:1–6 and comment). Let them prepare for judgment!

32–38 And yet the judgment is not to be complete destruction. Instead, God will purge the Israelites of those who revolt and rebel (verse 38). The Israelites will pass under [God’s] rod (verse 37), just as sheep pass under a shepherd’s rod so that the shepherd can identify which sheep are his. Only those Israelites who revolt and rebel will be forbidden entry into the restored Israel.

39–44 So, with irony, God says to the rebellious Israelites: “Go and serve your idols!” (verse 39). “But afterward—when you are purged and disciplined—the entire house of Israel⁴⁰ will serve me on my holy mountain, Jerusalem” (verse 40). “Then you will loathe yourselves (in repentance) for all the evil you have done” (verse 43).

After the fall of Judah and Jerusalem, the Israelites would realize that God had not dealt with them according to their evil ways (verse 44); if He had, He would have destroyed them utterly. Instead, they would realize that God had dealt with them on the basis of GRACE. All through their history, God had preserved a remnant of Israelites; He had patiently given them chance after chance to return to Him. And God is still doing the same for us today.

Prophecy Against the South (20:45–49)

45–49 Having reviewed Israel’s history and found the nation deserving of judgment, God now announces the judgment He is about to bring. He announces it in the form of a parable, the explanation of which He will give in the next chapter. Ezekiel is told to face the south—toward Judah and Jerusalem. And then he is to announce that the southern forest (the southern kingdom, Judah) is to be set on fire—invaded by enemy forces (verse 47). It will be destroyed from south to north; that is, all Judah will be destroyed.

In verse 49, Ezekiel says that the elders are interpreting his words as parables, not as reality. They evidently don’t understand his meaning. Therefore, God will explain the meaning—in the next chapter.