Ezekiel 20-22 Notes

We did meet on April 25, and discussed chapters 20-22. The notes are below. In May there was Praise and Worship -1st Sunday, my son's graduation -second Sunday and I went camping -Third Sunday. May 23 will be our first meeting.

The notes for ch 20-22:

Ezekiel 20

Leaders come to Ezekiel to inquire of God seeking His Guidance. God will not be questioned by them. Then begins a history lesson as to the why not. When He rescued Israel from Egypt they rebelled against Him. He was going to destroy them, but acted out of who He was and not how He felt. We face similar choices, we can act in the right way because it is the right way or we can act on our feelings of hurt or desire.

He gave Israel His laws, but they continued to rebel against Him. This is now the children of those that came out of Egypt. If they obey His laws they will live in the land, if they do not they will be scattered. They chose not to obey and eventually were scattered. They desecrated the sabbath. Again He acted out of who He is and not how He felt. His laws and statues that he gave them could not produce goodness and life (v25), they were meant to alert them to their hopeless condition without God. He abandoned them to let them do their own thing. Goodness and life only come through obedience, choosing to follow God's nature rather than our feelings.

He brought them into the land and on every hill they made an idol to another god, not caring for following the true God. The message Ezekiel has from God for the leaders coming for guidance is that they are continuing in the ways of their parents. They repeat the vile practices and sacrifice their own children. Acting as such God will not be questioned by them. To seek God -repentance - turning to His ways is what He wants. Otherwise we are trying to manipulate God, and He won't have it.

Israel like the other nations wanted to have gods that they control. They wanted gods they could manipulate, but God is saying He will be King over them. He will show that He is God. He will bring them back from being scattered with a mighty show of strength, and he will judge them, culling out the rebels and traitors, they won't be brought back to Israel, then they'll realize that He is the true God.

Continue He says going your own way, but one day the entire people of Israel will worship Him on His mountain, and He'll receive them with open arms. In bringing them to Himself before the whole world he will demonstrate that He is God. He acts out of who He is and not how He feels. They will loathe their actions of old- remembering them, prior to coming and worshiping God.

For now Ezekiel is told to prophesy of a fire that God starts that cannot be put out. This places Ezekiel at the time of the great scattering in the dialogue given.

Ezekiel 21

The sword is about to be unleashed on Israel on both the wicked and the righteous. He, God, is warning them. He means business, it will be His way and not ours. They worshiped things other than the true God, so He is abandoning them to the sword.

They have avoided discipline, and now God is putting them into a position where they can't avoid it.

The sword will come until God tells it to relent.

Starting at verse 18 we see how this is going to unfold. The king of Babylon will come and "decide" whether to go to Damascus or Jerusalem. God is really in control of this outcome, The Babylonians decide to go to Jerusalem. This will mean siege of the city. The sins of the leaders will be exposed, and they will be taken captive. Zedekiah swore allegiance to Babylon, and then changed his mind. His time is up, the entire city will become ruins.

The city will be in ruins until the one comes who has a right to it. For now Ezekiel is to prophesy the destruction.

Ezekiel 22

God asks Ezekiel if he is going to judge the city. Stand there and tell them all about their outrageous obscenities. In this context judge seems to indicate “point out”. A murderous city filled with idols. Murder and idols, piling up guilt, forcing a premature end to their existence. Murder makes guilty, idolatry makes filthy. They will be an exhibit for the nations. God will use His city and His nation for that.

6- The leaders compete to do crimes, they are rude to parents- not respect, abusive-prejudiced, and oppressive to orphans and widows- pick on the most helpless. They treat Holy things with contempt -not giving Him His proper place. Although acknowledge God (although they really don't have the proper perspective of Who God is) they also worship other gods. Spread lies and spill blood – gossip and malice. Sex -personal pleasure focused, not caring about partners, too focused on “I” or “me”. Sex with anyone, not as God intended- for bonding and children.

Murder for hire- playing God and trying to impose your will. Exhortation, trying to control, trying to run things our way. God was forgotten – or an attempt was made to forget, instead of prominently in His rightful place, not part of the focus of life.

God will deal with them, when He does, will they be able to continue? He is going to put a stop to their denial of Him and scatter the nation. Once they are no longer in control they will see God. We must make God the center of our lives and keep Him there. When self takes over nudging God to the side then all the previously described sin happens. He then takes away our seeming “control” and we readily shift Him back to His rightful place.

People of Israel are like slag, because of their behavior. Self focused instead of God focused, so they become useless to God. He will melt them down and give them trials through His wrath. Our non-God centered life will become unimportant. He will get through to us.

Drought- we take rain for granted, along with what it brings. Drought comes and we compete, taking from the weaker to satisfy our wants. Definitely not loving our brother.

Priests – mixed the sacred and secular. God is to be the focus of our lives not just a part. For He cannot be equal with other parts because He is God. Whether we acknowledge Him or not He is already in the other parts. Priests tell people there is no difference between right and wrong, we hear today as truth is “personal” there are no “absolutes”, and yet God is absolute and Holy. We are either for Him or against Him.

Priests pull God to their level, they might say that God grieves over earthquake victims in Haiti just like we do. Correction – God grieves over our sin and our mistakes. He knew Haiti would happen, He wants to get our attention. God is about justice and fairness and he makes things right for all individuals – most assuredly in ways we don't always or cannot see.

Politicians kill and take what they want – they don't feel responsible nor accountable for their actions. Priests back them up by saying they have “special” visions and “revelations”. They say this is what God the master says … They have made themselves out to be more spiritual than others.

God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, Rom 2:11 and 1Peter1:17)

So God may share a vision with one person, but it is available to all. He will give it to you as well. Otherwise God would be a respecter of persons. He certainly gives you what you need, and when you are ready for it, and when it will do Him the most good. Otherwise the babies may choke on the solid food.

There was no access to justice. God looked for someone (singular) to stand up for Him, stand in the gap so He wouldn't have to destroy the city. So He'll empty His wrath when nobody is willing to speak truly for Him. The city will be destroyed, and no innocent people are affected.