Ezekiel 20
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CHAPTER 20
Rebellious Israel (20:1–29)
1–3 In the seventh year of Ezekiel’s exile, some elders among the exiles came to Ezekiel to inquire of the LORD (verse 1); possibly they wanted to find out when they would be able to return to Judah. The Lord refused to answer their inquiry (verse 3); instead He related Israel’s long history of rebellion and told them to prepare for judgment. Judah was about to be destroyed; their exile was just beginning, not ending!
4–7 Here the Lord describes how He promised to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey (verse 6)—the land of Canaan, the “promised land” (see Genesis 12:7; 17:8; Exodus 3:8).
8–12 But even in Egypt the Israelites rebelled, and so the Lord poured out His wrath upon them by prolonging their bondage in Egypt (verse 8). However, for the sake of His name He did not abandon them36 (verse 9). Instead, He led them out of Egypt into the desert, where He gave them His laws (verses 10–11); He said that the person who obeys them will live by them (see Leviticus 18:5; Ezekiel 18:5–9 and comments). He also gave the Israelites His Sabbaths (verse 12); they would be a sign of the covenant between Him and Israel (see Exodus 31:12–17 and comment).
13–20 After their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites again rebelled . . . in the desert (verse 13). They desecrated God’s Sabbaths by not observing the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:8–11). Again God thought to destroy His people, but again for the sake of His name He did not (verse 14). Yet He did determine that that generation would not enter the promised land (verse 15); instead, they would die in the desert (Numbers 14:32–33). Only their children would be able to enter the land (verses 17–18).
21–26 But even the children rebelled (verse 21). Finally God gave them over to their evil practices37 (verse 25), including the sacrificing of their own children38 (verse 26).
27–29 God’s greatest complaint against His people was their idolatry. Even when they were prospering in the promised land, they forsook God and worshiped other gods in high places.39
Judgment and Restoration (20:30–44)
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.