The elders are back asking Ezekiel for answers from the Lord.
In response, the Lord tells these elders that He will not be inquired of by these men.
The Lord turns it over to Ezekiel to respond to these men, judge them, and remind them of the long history of abominations of their fathers. The Lord outlined what He wanted to remind them of.
- The Lord chose these people and made Himself known to them.
- He swore to bring them from Egypt to the promise Land, flowing with milk and honey.
- He told them all the way back then to cast away the detestable idols that they could see, in exchange for a God they couldn't see with their eyes, but could see His works.
- Even all the way back then, when they were slaves, they still rebelled against God with their testable things and idols.
This angered Him and He considered wiping them out all the way back in the day; but stopped for His name's sake. He promised to bring them out and He didn't want the nations to see Him go back on His covenant. From the beginning they were supposed to be His priestly nation, so He spared them so the world didn't get the wrong message.
Israel is a billboard on which God sends messages to the rest of us. Sometimes it's messages about how good He is and sometimes it's messages about how bad sin is. I think that's still true today.
The message from God to the elders via Ezekiel continues.
- He did bring them out of Egypt and into the wilderness.
- He gave them statues and ordinances so that they may live. (Again, this was supposed to the model everyone would eventually receive so that all could live; but the daisy chain stopped at the first group who were suppose to be the model.)
- The also got the Sabbath as a way to know God better.
- They rebelled, they ignored the ordinances, and they profanes the Sabbath.
Again, He was angered and resolved to annihilate them in the wilderness in His wrath. Once again, He spared them for His name's sake. He is still thinking about the world He has set out to save and annihilating them would write the wrong message on the Israel billboard. instead, He does keep that generation from entering the land He promised to them.
And so, He makes the same deal with the next generation—walk in my statutes, obey my laws, skip the idols, keep the Sabbath. Know that I am your God. And of course we know that those children rebelled and didn't do any of the things. It stirred up His wrath. He did not act on it for his name's sake.
Now the story shifts gears. Now the Lord let's them know that they would be scattered among the nations and dispersed among the lands. It's a new, sad promise that they would well earn over the next many generations.
The next sentence confuses me:
I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the Lord. Ezekiel 20:25–26.
I think I'm missing something that would clear this up. I tried several other translations, but they all seem to say that God gave them bad laws that they couldn't keep. At the end of the day, God is good and does not tempt us, so while I know there is an explanation, I'd don't need to trip over it right now.
Verse 27 starts a new paragraph and the Lord reiterates to Ezekiel that this recap is for the people of Israel. His people have blasphemed Him and acted treacherously with Him. Once they got to the Promise Land, they used every high hill to sacrifice to idols with offerings, incense, and libations.
God then asks them if they will be following after the sins of their fathers. He points out that they are committing the same sins. Meanwhile they think they can come to Ezekiel to inquire of God. He will not be inquired of this time. It's all been going on too long.
The message from the Lord changes starting in verse 33. We move from a review of the past and present sins to God's future plans. (Hallelujah!)
As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. Ezekiel 20:33–34
I think this means...I am Sovereign. There will come a day in the future when I will gather you all from all of the places I scattered you. I am able to make that happen. It will happen and my wrath will be complete—poured out and finished on the Cross of the Savior.
We can all rejoice that this plan is unfolding as He promised. He is faithful and true.
I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. Ezekiel 20:35
God is just. He cannot overlook their sin. They denied the Son of God. There will be reckoning, and will happen in front of all of the nations. Now His name's sake will benefit from this event occurring face-to-face. The billboard will be clear what's happening and God will be glorified in the judgement.
This time they will come into the covenant in a different way. This time, the individuals who rebel and transgress will be purged. Judgment will be individual this time. Those folks won't be coming into Israel at all this time. This time we will all know that He is God by the way He establishes the new relationship with them. The billboard will show us all a new testament.
Then He basically tells the elders to go away and worship their idols for now because they will no longer be profaning His holy name.
In the future, on Zion, the whole house of Israel will serve, seek, and worship Him. (verse 40)
He'll be proven holy by bringing back a scattered people and receiving their worship. The corrupt people of Israel will be dealt with.
Starting in verse 45, the message changes for a third time. He announces His plan to set it all on fire, from the forest land of the Negev, from south to north, He is going to burn it all down. All of the trees and all of the surface.
Then it ends with Him quoting some idiots that still think the whole thing is a parable and that life will be going back to normal soon.
Thank God for the hope of the future.