Ezekiel 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."'’ (Ezekiel 20:3)

The elders of Israel had a complaint with God, but God says He will not listen because of their actions previously. Their heart is set against God, which is evidenced by their disobedience, and yet when things go wrong, they still move to blame God or ask Him for help. God is saying that it’s no use coming to Him just when you need Him without living like you need Him all the time. He won’t listen to a heart that is rebelling against Him.

This is a grave message. There’s nothing scarier than the possibility that God isn’t listening to us. But if our heart is in the right place, evidenced by our actions, He will always listen.

Ezekiel 19:2-4

Ezekiel 19 is an analogy (as is common for the prophets), and talks about the way that Israel had destroyed its good lineage (ie. from David). In fact, after Zedekiah, who was a very evil king, and who was taken by the Babylonians, there were no more kings in David’s line (until the present time – that is, earthly kings). The evil that Zedekiah did (and his few predecessors) was so much that God had to put an end to that line. To think that it started out with David, a man after God’s own heart, and Solomon, the wisest person ever to have lived, is staggering.

‘'What is your mother? A lioness:
She lay down among the lions;
Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.’ (Ezekiel 19: 2)

The start or beginning of the kings of Israel was so strong (discounting the illegitimate king, Saul). They were like lions, strong and noble.

‘She brought up one of her cubs,
And he became a young lion;
|He learned to catch prey,
And he devoured men.
The nations also heard of him;
He was trapped in their pit,
And they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt.’ (Ezekiel 19:3-4)

But unfortunately, the son of the noble lion used his strength and position to harm others, and to cause evil and fear, and when the nations heard of him they took him (ie. the evil king was taken away captive to Egypt – apparently this speaks of Jehoahaz who ruled but 3 months before being deposed by the Egyptian Pharaoh).

Other than the obvious historical merit and significance of the prophecy, I think what we can take out of this passage is the fact that we cannot rest on the merits or strengths of our predecessors. And I mean that in the most general terms.

For instance, our parents being strong Christians doesn’t automatically make us strong Christians, or even Christians at that. Our relationship with God is determined solely by God and ourselves, and by no-one else (although they may encourage us!)

Likewise, going to a very strong Bible College, or having a really good pastor, or strong Biblical Professor (if you study theology) doesn’t make us a better Christian or a stronger person. That relies on us being faithful to God, and submitting to and obeying Him.

I think sometimes we can rest too easily on the achievements or qualities of our ‘predecessors’ and fail to push hard ourselves. We get the idea that even if we aren’t already, one day we will be strong devoted Christians because our parents are, or because we go to a good church or whatever reason. Don’t look behind at what was before you, but look ahead to the prize that will be. Strain towards it. If you don’t, things will go downhill quickly enough. Israel is just one prime example.

Ezekiel 18:32

‘"For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"’ (Ezekiel 18:32)

God is not a sadistic powerful being who delights in killing all that oppose Him. Instead, He is a loving God, not willing that any should perish, and inviting us all to come to Him with all of our sin and our despair and cast it upon Him. All we need to do is turn, and live!

Ezekiel 17:24

Ezekiel 17 is a riddle for the Israelites that is about how Babylon took their princes and mighty men from them (eg. Daniel). They made a covenant with them, but the Israelites broke it by turning to Egypt for aid. God says that this will never work, and that they will all be cast down. The riddle is in the form of a story about an eagle who takes the topmost branch of a cedar tree and carries it to another land, and plants it there, but another eagle tends it and the tree grows towards that eagle (that eagle being Egypt). The point of the passage is to follow God’s instructions, for He instructed them to go to Babylon, because it was inevitable. Instead they turned back to Egypt (which we found in Jeremiah). Sometimes His instructions don’t seem to make sense, but in the end, He is God, so He knows what He’s doing. However, the last verse is what struck me most:

"And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it." (Ezekiel 17:24)

God does everything the opposite way to what we might expect. He hates the proud and loves the humble, he loves a broken spirit. In keeping with the theme of the book, God will dry up the green tree which looks like it doesn’t need any help, and make the dry tree (which looks like nothing could ever save it) flourish, so that we know that He is the LORD. Only the LORD could do such a thing, and so doing, this brings Him glory.

Let’s remember this as we go through the day: God makes the dry trees to flourish – not the green trees. Let’s come before Him with broken spirits and contrite hearts.

Ezekiel 16:14-15,60

Ezekiel 16 is pretty much a comprehensive appraisal of Israel and the reason for the coming judgment upon them. It is meant as a warning, as are all the prophets, but it is a dire warning indeed. It tells the story of Israel from God’s perspective, of how they were born of an Ammorite and a Hittite (questionable origins!) and were born into hatred, until God took care of them and clothed them – until eventually:

‘"Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord GOD. "But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.’ (Ezekiel 16:14-15)

That first verse is such a beautiful one. They had become beautiful because of the splendour of the LORD shining through them. But instead of trusting in that eternal beauty, they trusted in their own pitiful beauty and forsook the relationship they had with the awesome God, for petty gods of the nations all around them.

How petty and demeaning we can be sometimes! We have the eternal beauty and goodness of God in our hearts and yet we turn away in search for false satisfaction in anything but God, prostituting ourselves to every thing that passes us by. And yet, just like Israel, God will not give us up for all that, for He has made a covenant with us, a new covenant, signed in His blood, and it cannot be broken.

‘Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.’ (Ezekiel 16:60)

Let us be grateful of the faithfulness of God, and keep ourselves from false idols of the heart.

Ezekiel 15:2

Israel, as we know, had a preoccupation with their own importance. They were Jews, everyone else was a Gentile. They had the law, everyone else were dogs. We have examples of God showing them that their thinking is a little wrong in the person of Jesus, who talks to the Samaritan woman, and Peter who goes to the Gentiles. But here in Ezekiel we have another example:

‘"Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?’ (Ezekiel 15:2)

The vine branch is an obvious reference to Israel (they are referenced in this manner other times throughout the Bible), and the verse says that the vine branch is not better than any other branch or piece of wood in the forest. In fact, all of the wood burns the same when the fire comes. You see, Israel had the wrong idea of themselves. They believed they were inherently better than any other nation, by being the vine. But God makes the point that the branch of the vine is useless when alive (verse 3), and even more useless when burned.

This reminds me of us – one day we will be tried by fire, as it were. Will we come out like refined gold, purer than ever? Or will we burn up like branches or wood? If we are trusting in our inherent goodness, or the fact that we go to church, that we belong to a Christian family, or anything else, like the Israelites did, then not only are we useless wood while alive, but we are less than useless after we go through the fire. But trusting in Jesus’ blood, even a little faith in that precious blood will render us like gold. Only Jesus can make us worth something.

Ezekiel 14:22-23

Ezekiel 14 is a powerful look into how and why God judges. We see again the idea that God judges for reason, or for purpose (and we have seen in the previous chapters that this purpose is generally that we may know that He is the LORD ie. Bring Him glory).

‘"And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it," says the Lord GOD.’ (Ezekiel 14:23)

We also glimpse the compassion God has amidst the judging. For he says that the nation is so evil that even if the three great men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, their righteousness would save only themselves (and not extend to the rest of the people), indeed verse 16, 18, 20 all say that their righteousness would not even cover their sons or their daughters. This reminds me of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham was pleading for the cities, begging God to save them if he could find but a few righteous men in them...and God agreed that He would, except there were no righteous men. How much more evil must Jerusalem have been! For God says even if there were righteous men in it, their righteousness would not save anyone else.

But look at verse 22:

‘"Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it.’ (Ezekiel 14:22)

The extent of God’s compassion and mercy for the evil Israel is seen here: because although they are evil enough to be annihilated, God will save a remnant, both sons and daughters (a reference to the three men whose sons and daughters wouldn’t have been covered by their own righteousness). It is saying: there is no way for these people to be saved, but they will be by God’s sovereign grace. And the next verse says that this will show Ezekiel that all that the Lord does is for a cause. What better cause than to show the extents of His grace and mercy!