Tag Archives: Study of Ezekiel

Revelation Friday: A Rebellious Nation Ezekiel 20:33-44

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Last time we looked at the first half of Ezekiel 20, and there God was showing us a review of Israel’s long history of sins. We read about the leaders who were worshiping idols, but they wanted the benefit of God’s provisions. God expected them to worship Him and and Him alone. We also listed 5 oaths the Lord swore to them. (see here for review)

As we look at the rest of chapter we will see Israel’s future judgment and restoration.

Ezekiel 20:33-38 “As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 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. 37 I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

    1. God will rule over Israel. (vs. 33)
    2. He has the right, the power, and the will to do so
    3. Even though they are scattered among the nations, God can still reach them.
    4. God will separate the good from the bad. (vs 37)
    5. Those kept, the remnant, will be brought into God’s covenant.

In Ezekiel 20:39 God tells them to make a clean break:

“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols..

    6. A day will come when God will accept the offerings on His holy mountain.

Ezekiel: 20:40-41 “For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.

    7. God will bring a remnant out. Jeremiah 23:3

    8. They will be disgusted at their own sins. Ezekiel 6:9

    9. They will acknowledge that God dealt with them for His own sake. Psalms 79:9

Israel, regathered from all nations, will enter into the Great Tribulation. The judgment will determine who of Israel will enter the Millennium.

This is still to come. Next week we will review the Parable of the Forest that Ezekiel begins to cover in Ezekiel 20:45-49

Friday Revelation: The Parable of the Unfaithful Wife Ezekiel 16

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Did you read the ground rules? Any bible passages can be read by moving your mouse over the passage (I am using ESV). Ok lets get started…. (if you don’t have time to read all of it now, see the note below*) BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE NEW BLOGFROG FORMAT!!

Last week we looked at the first of three parables. This last Sunday my pastor defined a parable is an earthly example with a heavenly message. I love that definition. In Chapter 15 the Lord described a vine that does not produce fruit, therefore the vine alone is not worth anything. To review there are four basic reasons for the fall of Jerusalem:

    1. People’s stubbornness. (Chapter 12)
    2. People listened to false prophets (Chapters 13-14)
    3. Nation was useless. (Chapter 15)
    4. Nation’s history of unfaithfulness (Chapter 16)

In Ezekiel 16 we read about the parable of the unfaithful wife. Judah is compared to a prostitute lacking any sense of gratitude for the Lord’s favor upon them or for His blessings and provisions. In Ezekiel 16:1-6 Jerusalem was described as an unwanted baby who was left to die at birth, but eventually became a woman and God clothed her with the finest linens and jewelry. Her beauty was such that she became a Queen (Ezekiel 16:8-14).

sodomThis chapter in Ezekiel is one of the most shocking because Ezekiel not only describes the brutal violence but also his shocking use of sexual language. But remember this chapter is an extended metaphor portraying God’s judgment on the nation.

Unfortunately despite all her blessings she (Jerusalem) did some detestable things:

    1. Became a prostitute and used the jewelry God had given her to make idols.
    2. The food God gave her was offered as incense to idols.
    3. The sons and daughters were offered as sacrifices to idols.

Even the nations around Jerusalem were shocked by Jerusalem’s behavior and blatant disrespect of God. God turned Jerusalem over to the surrounding nations because His wrath was being poured out.

God compares Jerusalem to Samaria and Sodom. “She is like her sisters, Samaria and Sodom.” Only Jerusalem didn’t just commit the same abominations, she did worse (Lamentations 4:6).

But even with their multitude of sins:

Psalms 16:45 says:

For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.


After the wrath of God has been poured out, they will be humbled, they will receive what they deserve, and they will have paid for their sins. God will not break his covenant, but pour out his mercy and prepare for the new covenant He will establish. (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Despite their detestable sins, God had mercy. God is faithful-he kept his covenant. God is truth-he never breaks his word. God is just-he can not allow sin to go nonpunishable, yet God pours down his mercy upon us.

Past Posts on Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 1-3
Ezekiel 4-7
Ezekiel 8-10
Ezekiel 11
Ezekiel 12-13
Ezekiel 14-15

* In my BlogFrog community I have uploaded a copy of this post along with questions to respond to. This makes it possible to print out this post to read at another time or use it as your devotional. In the BlogFrog community I will try to add some time lines and additional information that you can print out and save. It is my understanding you don’t need to sign-up for the community to be able to print the information out, it is just if you want to leave a comment you need to be signed in (it is free). Feel free to leave comments either here or in the community forum. I look forward to your thoughts.