Unlearned Lesson?

Series on Ezekiel

I. The Fall of Jerusalem

K. Father’s Bequest, Text: 20:1-21:7

Title: Unlearned Lesson?

Introduction

In this first part of the prophecy the Lord has been justifying his judgments on Israel and reminding them of their sins. In this section He requires them to consider their perpetual failure to respond adequately to His love. A review of their history demonstrates that they have repeatedly despised God’s grace. Paul says, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? It could have been written about their history, and the present generation to whom Ezekiel speaks have done nothing different. Let us consider: the fathers’ sins, the fate of the seed, and the final solution.

I The Fathers’ Sins

There are four periods of their history reviewed in 20:1-31. Their sins are so manifest that the elders are rebuked for even inquiring of the Lord. God’s reply through the prophet begins with stage 1, the bondage of Egypt and the Exodus. In verses 1-9 we learn that they left their slavery in Egypt but not the idols to which they had become attached. We learn this in verses 8 and 9 along with the fact that God delivered them anyway “ for His name’s sake,” But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations they lived among and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites by bringing them out of Egypt. The second stage is the wilderness after the Exodus in verses 10-20. Though God cared for them, they did not obey His commandments. They murmured and complained and yet God did not destroy them for the same reason, verses 13 and 14, So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the desert. But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. God protected his name and reputation. Stage 3 in verses 21-26 refers to the children of the first generation in the wilderness, and they continued the sins of their Fathers though they were specifically warned not to repeat their mistakes in verse 18. But, here again God spared them as we read in verses 21 and 22, So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the desert. But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. They were also warned about future punishments such as Ezekiel’s listeners were enduring now. The last stage in verses 27-31 takes place in the promised land. In spite of their disobedience and idolatry God brought them in because of his promise, but again they repeated the sins of their fathers in verses 27,28 and 30, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “In this also your fathers blasphemed me by forsaking me: When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that provoked me to anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.”… Therefore say to the house of Israel: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images?” They are reminded of these things because they were still doing them when the Babylonians descended upon them; a lesson not learned.

II The Fate of the Seed

They have invited this judgment because they want to be like other nations. They want to fit in as we read in verse 32, but God says He will not permit it to happen . His purpose will rule over all, You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. How will God guarantee this? He has a long range plan that we will look at next, and a short range plan which is the terrible judgments that they are now enduring. We see this plan in 20:38-21:7. It is summed up in 21:1-5, The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to her: ‘This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. Then all people will know that I the LORD have drawn my sword from its scabbard; it will not return again.’” The driving motivation for Israel’s unfaithfulness and involvement in idolatry is this desire to be like the Gentile nations. We should understand that these are not merely superstitious, stone age idiots. Their belief in foreign idols is a lot like voodoo. People believed that they could control others if they had images of them, whether men or gods. This desire did not die with the ancients but continues in our time with a multitude of little ways men try to control God. Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs all use endlessly repeated mantras to manipulate the spirit world. Many in Christendom believe that the more we pray or the more people who pray will assure answers. Others think that the more we go to church or the more we give will induce God to favor us. You cannot twist God’s arm bowing to images, or making many prayers. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 6: 7 and 8, And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. God and His judgments are something Israel cannot control.

III The Final Solution

And so we come to God’s long term solution set forth in 20: 39-44. God says there is wonderful restoration coming which we read about in verses 39-41, As for you O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. This is all the result of God’s grace in verses 43 and 44, There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD. This grace was shown in the first Exodus when God delivered them from Egypt. This grace will be shown in another Exodus when God delivers them from Babylon, after 70 years according to Jeremiah, and they are restored to the land and begin to rebuild the city and the temple. But this grace is ultimately revealed in still another Exodus. In Luke 9: 27-31 we have the story of the transfiguration of Jesus with Moses and Elijah representing the law and the prophets. Jesus is talking about the imminence of the kingdom in verse 27, I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God. This is the kingdom of God which he destroyed in the Old testament and never fully restored. Now it will be fully restored in the final and last Exodus. Luke tells us the topic of discussion between Jesus and Moses and Elijah, About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. They are talking about His death which is called here, His departure, but actually the word is Exodus. This is the final full restoration of Israel and along with it the Gentile world as the prophets predicted. That the return after Babylon was not a final Exodus is made clear in 20: 34 and 35, 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. I will bring you into the desert of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. It is evident that although they are brought back and restored, there will be future judgments on them, and this was fulfilled by the Romans in 70 A.D. when the city and the temple were destroyed for the last time. This is one of the main points in Jesus’ own prophecies. Remember he said, that not one stone of the temple would be left on another. The Romans actually carried off the stones in the ruins to use in other buildings. We may wonder if the New Testament church fulfills all of the glowing prophecies concerning the new covenant when we read the prophets. The answer is that it does not, but the point is that once Jesus has come the true restoration is under way and it will not end until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Conclusion

We should learn here, in this chapter, the folly of our own sinful hearts and the incredible grace of God. He kept His promises to Abraham and David, and he is still keeping them. Through judgment and suffering His purpose never wavers until His kingdom is established throughout the earth. We stand amazed in His presence.