Ezekiel is given a tough task.
And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations. Ezekiel 22:2
I do not envy Ezekiel this task. To judge Israel and have to catalogue the abominations. Through his visions, he has seen them first hand, though. So maybe he's okay rebuking them for their deep betrayal of the Lord. These include:
- bloodshed in the city
- idolatry
- Judah made themselves a reproach in the land
- being of ill repute
- full of turmoil
- rulers shedding blood
- not treating people as God prescribed
- despised God's holy things
- profaned the sabbath
- slander
- heretical practices
- lewdness
- sex with dads' wives
- unclean sex acts
- taken bribes
- financial predatory acts
- You have forgotten the Lord
- dishonest profit
Verse 14 transitions from the indictment to the judgement.
- He will scatter them and disperse them.
- They will show their defilement among the nations so their judgment will count against them and not reflect on the Lord.
- They have become worthless rubbish to the Lord. (dross in the purifying of metal process)
- He will put Jerusalem in a furnace and let all of the scum burn off the silver.
Next, starting in verse 23, the Lord describes the crimes of the leaders.
- the prophets conspired to devour the people like a lion tearing thru prey
- they stole treasures
- made widows.
- the priests violated the law
- profaned holy things
- failed to distinguish between holy and unholy; unclean and clean
- stopped observing the sabbath
- the princes are wolves tearing prey
- shed blood and destroy people
- dishonest gain
- the prophets give false visions
- divining lies
- the people of the land use oppression
- robbery
- mistreated poor and needy
- wrongfully oppressed the stranger
The Lord went looking for one man who would stand in the gap and build a wall between the angry lord and the people, but could not find one. Therefore, He unleashed His wrath.
I'm writing curriculum about culture right now and these verse about the people of the land remind me that the Lord is the architect of human rights and civil rights. This compassion and high expectations about how we are to treat each other ends up reshaping the Western world from the remnant Jews thru the Christians and across the world.
To God be the glory. His will will be done. Amen.