God’s Fire and God’s Sword

God’s Fire and God’s Sword

Ezekiel 20:45–22:12

Main Idea: The time of God’s judgment approaches, and unless there is an intercessor, all will be consumed.

In Ezekiel 19–20 God reveals the sin of Israel’s leaders and its people. In Ezekiel 18 God reveals that each will be held responsible for his or her sin. In Ezekiel 20:45–22:12 God reveals what it will be like when the day of reckoning arrives. God’s judgment will be like a fire and a sword. His judgment will be complete, controlled, with cause, and consuming. He will judge His people as well as other nations. Let’s consider His judgment now.

How Should We Proclaim God’s Judgment?

Ezekiel 21:6,12

Ezekiel 21 is a heavy chapter about God’s judgment, not only of His people but also of those who have harmed Israel. Fee and Stuart exhort us to

bear in mind that the prophets did not invent the blessings or curses they announced. They may have worded these blessings and curses in novel, captivating ways, as they were inspired to do so. But they reproduced God’s word, not their own. Through them God announced his intention to enforce the covenant, for benefit or for harm depending on the faithfulness of Israel, but always on the basis of and in accordance with the categories of blessing and curse already contained in Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 4, and Deuteronomy 28–32. (How to Read the Bible, 168)

In the case of Ezekiel 21, Yahweh’s prophet is asked to announce a message of “harm” for those who have broken His covenant.

In preaching, the tone of the text should always be the tone of the sermon. Piper laments what he considers to be

a preaching atmosphere and a preaching style plagued by triviality, levity, carelessness, flippancy, and a general spirit that nothing of eternal and infinite proportions is being done or said on Sunday morning. (Piper, Supremacy of God, 52)

He adds, “It is a sign of the age that we preachers are far more adept at humor than tears” (ibid., 58). If we decide to introduce our sermon on Ezekiel 21 with a joke, we will have completely missed the tone of this text. Much like the prophets our goal in preaching is not to get our audience to like us but to respond to the word we have been given to declare. This does not mean there is never a place for humor in the pulpit. It just means humor should not be used to “break the heaviness” of God’s message when its original intent was to overwhelm the audience with God’s seriousness about His holiness.

Ezekiel will not deliver the words of judgment in this chapter in a happy or trite manner. God commands Ezekiel to groan bitterly with a broken heart (v. 6) and to wail and strike his thigh in grief (v. 12). God’s people are being severely disciplined, and His mouthpiece is told to communicate the message with all the emotion appropriate for such judgment. Some might say Ezekiel is just acting, but considering he probably knows some of those who are going to be destroyed, I imagine not all of his tears are a theatrical production. The prophet is meant to feel the gravity of the events God describes and he declares. Interestingly, Ezekiel will be allowed to grieve more in communicating Jerusalem’s judgment than when mourning the death of his wife (24:17).

What about us? Does the tone of the text drive the tone of our sermons? Are our sermons marked by “intensity of feeling, the weight of argument, a deep and pervading solemnity of mind, a savor of the power of godliness, fervency of spirit, (and) zeal for God” (Piper, Supremacy of God, 50)? Can people grasp the seriousness of heaven’s and hell’s reality by the way we preach (ibid., 55)? The judgment Ezekiel was asked to proclaim was nothing but serious. God’s people may have treated His holiness as if it were a joke, but God’s fire and His sword of judgment are no laughing matter. For Ezekiel’s audience the matter was settled, and there would be no escape, but for our audiences a time for repentance remains open. They just need a messenger who grasps the eternal significance of the proclamation event and calls them to turn and live (18:32).

Another communication matter needs to be addressed before going further. Someone has said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In Ezekiel 20:45-48 God provides a picture of a blazing flame that consumes everything in its path. In Ezekiel 21:1-32 God provides a picture of a sharpened and polished sword that in the hand of the slayer flashes like lightning and slashes right and left. In our rush to provide applicable teaching points from the text, we do not want to miss the form in which they were originally preached. Like a batter pulling a ball where it would not naturally go, we do not want to forsake the original form of a text just to force it into our favorite style of sermon presentation. Duguid has some helpful thoughts on this matter:

The Bible is a book filled with images and imagery. God delivers his message not in the cold tones of propositional statements (although we may certainly deduce from the Bible propositions about who God is and what he is like) but in a welter of pictures. Supremely, his self-communication takes the form of the visible enactments of the prophets and most particularly of the final prophet, Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh.

Ironically, however, much expository preaching, which seeks to faithfully deliver the message of the Bible, begins by abstracting the proposition (the so-called “big idea of the passage”) from its surrounding imagery. That imagery is then tossed away like so much used wrapping paper, while the “big idea” is repackaged in an entirely new format for its delivery to the contemporary congregation. Could that be one reason why people find so much of our preaching boring? We have lost the vivid directness of the fire-filled Word of God, replacing it by the cool logical flow of classical rhetoric. If we wish to regain the power of the original proclamation, we would do well to consider more fully how we can deliver messages about fires that burn and words about the sword that cut to the heart. (Duguid, Ezekiel, 280)

What Can We Learn About God’s Judgment?

God’s Judgment Is Complete (20:45–21:7)

Nothing can prevent the fire God is about to bring to the forestland in the Negev. Of course, had God’s people turned from their sins, this judgment could have been avoided, but they did not, and the time for repentance has passed.

God tells Ezekiel to face the south and prophesy against the forest in the Negev. He is about to ignite a fire that will not be extinguished (20:47-48). The fire will rage until it consumes every green tree and every dry tree, regardless of the potential for flammability. The fire will consume all in like manner. The flame will rage with such heat “every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it” (v. 47). There will be no doubt who caused and fueled the fire. Everyone will be able to identify Yahweh’s work.

As faithful as Ezekiel was in delivering the message, the hardheaded and hardhearted people in his audience responded with “Huh?” As with Ezekiel 17 and 19, they felt God’s prophet was once again spinning riddles. Whatever Yahweh was intending to tell them, they did not comprehend it. To provide clarity but not necessarily comfort, Yahweh changes the image from a fire to a sword. Foregoing coded language, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy against Jerusalem, against the sanctuaries where God’s people have practiced idolatrous worship, and against the land of Israel itself. How’s that for clarity?

Instead of trees being consumed by fire, God’s people will be cut down with the sword. None will escape (cf. 9:5-6). They are informed the sword will strike “both the righteous and the wicked,” and “everyone from the south to the north” (21:4). Like the fire that will not be extinguished, the sword will not be sheathed (v. 5). What effect Ezekiel’s sermons are having on his audience is debatable (33:32), but when this judgment occurs, “every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and every knee will turn to water” (21:7). God is bringing judgment on His people, and nothing will stop His fire or sword.

The idea of Yahweh wielding a sword of judgment was not new to Israel (Deut 32:41; Isa 34:5-8; Jer 50:35; Zeph 2:12). They, however, were accustomed to His enemies being the targets. Yahweh says in Deuteronomy 32:40-41,

I raise My hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold of judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.

A great illustration of this is found in Joshua 5:13-15 where the Lord’s sword is drawn in judgment against the inhabitants of Jericho.

When they learned God would be bringing the sword against His own people, at least two places in Scripture should have entered the minds of Ezekiel’s audience. The first would have been in the first book of the Law and with the first humans ever created. When Adam and Eve sinned and God sent them away from Eden, He “stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen 3:24). The second place in Scripture Ezekiel’s peers should have remembered was the covenant between God and His people. In Leviticus 26:25 God informs Israel that if they break the covenant and reject His discipline, He “will bring a sword against [them] to execute the vengeance of the covenant.” Based on the history lesson in Ezekiel 20, Israel never demonstrated much desire to keep their end of the agreement, but God was completely determined to keep His.

How is it that both the green tree and the dry tree are consumed, or more explicitly, both the righteous and the wicked (20:47; 21:4)? Is God going back on His word from Ezekiel 18 and punishing the righteous for the sins of others? No. God never speaks out of both sides of His mouth. The picture of the all-consuming fire and sword in Ezekiel 21 represents God’s complete judgment. His wrath is kindled and what is poured out on Jerusalem’s inhabitants will not be partial judgment. All will be either killed or scattered. The righteous will not bear the penalty of the actions of the wicked, but they may suffer the consequences. For example, when the Lord gave Jericho to His people,

Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites. (Josh 7:1)

Achan’s sin brought consequences on all of Israel (Josh 7:5,11-12). In Ezekiel 21 all will be caught up in the Lord’s judgment as a consequence of the pervasive wickedness in Judah and Jerusalem.

A consideration of the Lord’s judgment with a fire and a sword would be incomplete if the ministry of Jesus were not considered. When Matthew and Luke were each reporting the same teaching of Christ, they described the two images of judgment found in Ezekiel 21. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus cautioned His disciples, “Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt 10:34). In Luke’s account Jesus says, “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze” (Luke 12:49). Paul tells us that Jesus will one day bring fire again. He told the church at Thessalonica,

This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t . . . obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thess 1:7-8)

After their physical death, those who do not obey God will experience eternal destruction in a fire that will never be extinguished (Rev 20:15). For all eternity, the Lord will be against His enemies, and His sword of judgment will never be sheathed (Ezek 21:3,5) God’s sword and fire have come and are coming again. Are we ready? Are those we love ready? What are we doing to sound the alarm?

God’s Judgment Is Controlled (21:8-23)

Neither the fire nor the sword operates with its own agenda. Both have purposes ordained for them, and both belong to God. Yahweh not only sharpens and polishes the sword but also appoints it for slaughter at all the gates to which the people may try to flee Jerusalem (v. 15). God’s sword has been unsheathed for a massacre (v. 14) of His own people (v. 12). The sword will be placed into the slayer’s hands, and he will slash to the right and turn to the left (vv. 11,16). All the while the Lord will be applauding (v. 17). Anyone want to tell Jerusalem, “Don’t worry, because God has a wonderful plan for your life?” How can these images not move us? How can we not tremble before such a holy God?

Make no mistake, the Lord is not clapping because He takes pleasure in the death of His people (18:32). The applause is for the satisfaction of His wrath and the demonstration of His holiness. Sin will be punished.

In placing His sword in Nebuchadnezzar’s hand, the Lord still retains control. To demonstrate His sovereignty, God tells Ezekiel to mark out a road from Babylon that leads to a fork. One way will lead to Rabbah and the other path will lead to Jerusalem. Ezekiel is to enact Nebuchadnezzar’s divination practices that he uses to discern which path to take. The answer given will be Jerusalem, which some will think is a mistake because they swore an oath. But as we learned in Ezekiel 17, Zedekiah broke that oath. God will expose the guilt of His people.

I want us to consider two thoughts. First, even when he functions as God’s instrument of justice, Nebuchadnezzar does not choose His own path. God certainly does not approve of the king of Babylon’s divination practices, but He does reign over them. Just like the fire and the sword are controlled by God, so is the pagan king. God does not do violence to Nebuchadnezzar’s will; He just lets it carry him to the places ordained. Second, no matter what fortifications are in place, no city can withstand God’s sword of judgment. The word “fortified” is provided to show us there is no man-made refuge that is safe from God’s wrath. Jerusalem could not build a bulwark high enough or thick enough to stop God’s discipline.

God does not start a fire and let it blaze its own trail. Neither does He release a sword and let it cut down lives at will. Both His fire and His sword are evidences of controlled judgment. His discipline is never arbitrary but specific. His judgment is also never without reason.

God’s Judgment Is with Cause (21:24-27; 22:1-12)

Neither the people of Jerusalem nor their prince were innocent in the Lord’s eyes. In Ezekiel 22 God provides a laundry list of their sins that include bloodshed, idolatry, treating parents with contempt, exploiting the sojourner among them, oppressing widows and orphans, despising God’s holy things, profaning His Sabbaths, sexual immorality, incest, and usury (22:1-12). And these were God’s people? They were a light to the nations? No wonder God’s revelatory purpose of demonstrating He is Yahweh is so important to Him. His people certainly are not doing Him any favors with regard to the nations who are watching.

Pertaining to His judgment, Israel cannot plead ignorance or innocence. The sins of God’s people have finally led to their capture (21:24). The sins of the prince will also lead to the Davidic line having to yield the scepter for the time being (v. 26). The result for Jerusalem, for God’s people, and for Zedekiah will be ruin, ruin, ruin (v. 27). The day of punishment has arrived. Payment is required for their pervasive rebellion.

A question remains about how to interpret 21:27. According to a footnote in the HCSB, another possible translation is, “Yet this will not happen until He comes to whom it rightfully belongs, and I will give it to Him.” A traditional understanding utilizing the variant reading is that the scepter of Judah would be taken from Zedekiah, but it would not be permanently removed from the linage of David but given to the Messiah. In blessing Judah, Jacob said, “The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until He whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him” (Gen 49:10). There is One to whom the right of kingship over God’s people genuinely belongs (Taylor, Ezekiel, 163). There is no question that Genesis 49:10 is ultimately fulfilled by Christ, but is Ezekiel thinking of the Messiah when he utters verse 27?

The majority of the translation team who worked on the HCSB believes the best rendering of 21:27 includes, “Yet this will not happen until He comes; I have given judgment to Him.” Block affirms, “‘Judgment’ in the sense of punishment suits the context perfectly” (Ezekiel 1–24, 692). He goes on to say the prophet’s pointing to the Messiah would not be out of the question but “such a ray of hope would be quite unexpected from Ezekiel at this point” (ibid.). Block does think Ezekiel is thinking of Genesis 49:10, but he uses a “sinister reinterpretation of the ancient promise” not to laud Judah but to speak of its judgment (ibid., 692–93). Regardless of whether Ezekiel is referring to Nebuchadnezzar or to the Messiah, God is the One who gives the judgment to Him. This truth is further evidence of God’s judgment being controlled even when He has cause. Neither Nebuchadnezzar nor the Messiah will appoint themselves as instruments of judgment. Lastly, if Nebuchadnezzar is the fulfillment of Ezekiel 21:27; Christ alone is the One to whom Genesis 49:10 points. Nebuchadnezzar’s holding of Israel’s scepter would be for just a moment, but Christ will hold it for all eternity.

God’s Judgment Is Consuming (21:28-32)

Though it is doubtful any Ammonites were listening to Ezekiel’s message, this did not stop the Lord from announcing their fate. When God judges the nations in Ezekiel 25–32, He starts with the Ammonites (25:1). If, for some reason, some from this people group were present in Babylon, then they no doubt were relieved when Nebuchadnezzar was led to take the road to Jerusalem instead of to Rabbah (21:22). God’s delayed judgment, however, should never be confused with an acquittal. The Ammonites have acted with evil intent toward God’s people (25:3,6), so He has appointed a sword for their slaughter (21:28).

There is some question whether 21:30-32 is about the Ammonites or about Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. Because Ammon receives the same pronouncement of judgment in 25:10 as is recorded in 21:32, I am inclined to believe 21:30-32 is a continuation of God’s address to the Ammonites. They will be totally consumed by God’s judgment. Their punishment of not being remembered means their people group will be “annihilated, permanently deleted” (Block, Ezekiel, 698). “To the Semitic mind nothing could be more terrible: no prospect of restoration, no continuance in succeeding generations, no memorial, not even a memory. Oblivion” (Taylor, Ezekiel, 163). As bad as Judah’s punishment sounded, Ammon’s was worse. Jerusalem would be ruined, but it would also be remembered. The same could not be said for Ammon. First Peter 4:17 is a good summary of Ezekiel 21: “For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?” Just consider Ammon and you will have your answer.

How Can We Avoid God’s Judgment?

In Ezekiel 21 God’s judgment cannot be avoided. He will satisfy His wrath on Jerusalem, on the sanctuaries, on the land, on the people, on Zedekiah, and on the Ammonites. There will be no intercessor between the sinful parties and the Holy God. There will also be no substitute, but each one mentioned will bear the punishment for their rebellion. Which leads us to an important question: Is there any way we can avoid God’s judgment? The simple answer from Ezekiel 18:32 of turning and living is echoed in Christ’s call to repent and believe (Mark 1:15). But how will we escape God’s sword and His fire?

God gave Zechariah the answer long before Christ’s incarnation. The Lord said, “Sword, awake against My shepherd, against the man who is My associate—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts” (Zech 13:7). Christ did not come just to wield God’s sword of judgment but also to receive it. The reason we will not be slashed is because Christ was. This also means God’s fires of judgment will refine us rather than ruin us (Zech 13:9). Christ absorbed the blazing flame of God’s wrath so that our faces might not be scorched. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Reflect and Discuss

1. In communicating God’s judgment, why are we at times prone to levity instead of gravity?
2. What steps do you take to make sure the tone of the biblical text is the tone of your sermon?
3. How can the pursuit of “principles” when developing sermons sometimes dull the effect of the images provided in the biblical text? How can we grow in our communication of the images God employs in His word?
4. When you consider God’s judgment through the lens of a flame and a sword, what effect is produced in your heart/mind? What effect is produced in your actions?
5. How can we know God’s judgment is controlled?
6. Why is it comforting to know that God’s judgment is never meted out on innocent people? Why is this also discomforting?
7. Why do we sometimes perceive God’s delayed judgment as an acquittal? How do we know it’s not?
8. What gives God the right to judge not only Israel but also Ammon?
9. How often do you consider what it means for us that Christ was slashed with God’s sword and burned with God’s flame when our sin was laid on Him?
10. What are you doing to help others flee to Christ so that they will not have to face the judgment of God?