04 September

Bible In 365 Days                                                   

Ezekiel 18-20

Ezekiel 18

The next prophecy was directed against the false attitude of mind obtaining among the exiled people, which had expressed itself in a proverb, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." By the use of this proverb they intended to lay the blame of their present suffering on their fathers. While recognizing all the evil which had befallen them as the result of sin, they maintained the attitude of injured innocence, declaring, in effect, that they were bearing the punishment of sins which they had not committed. This the prophet denied, first by setting forth illustrative principles which may thus be summarized. All souls have direct dealings with God, seeing that they are His. The righteous man lives. The wicked son of a righteous man dies. The righteous son of a wicked man lives. In unequivocal terms the prophet then deliberately declared that the son does not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father that of the son. In this first line of argument in rebutting the false proverb, the prophet laid all his emphasis on personal responsibility. The argument is at once a revelation of the strict justice of God in dealing with men, and of man's opportunity and obligation of immediate dealing with God.

The prophet then proceeded to show how gracious this opportunity is. If the wicked man turns from wickedness to righteousness, his sins are to be forgiven and he is to live, because Jehovah has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. On the other hand, if the righteous man turn from his righteousness to sin, his past righteousness is of no avail and he is to die. Israel declared that the way of Jehovah was not equal. To this Ezekiel replied that the ways of Israel were unequal, and that what appeared to be unequal in the judgment of God was the result of the inequality of their attitude toward Him.

The prophet then appealed to the house of Israel to turn from transgression, and declared again that Jehovah had "no pleasure in the death of him that dieth." The responsibility and opportunity of a sinning people is set forth in the appeal to make for themselves a new heart and a new spirit, and in the declaration that by turning they would live.

Ezekiel 19

The last section in the prophet's revelation of the righteousness of reprobation consists of his lament over the fallen princes of Judah. He first referred to Jehoahaz, the son and successor of Josiah, who was carried captive to Egypt. His mother, Judah, the prophet described as a lioness couched among lions, and nourishing her whelps. One of them was ensnared, and brought to Egypt. The mother disappointed, took another of her whelps.

The reference here is undoubtedly to Jehoiachin, who, after a brief reign in which he won certain victories, was carried away captive to Babylon.

The last moment in the lament has to do with the failure of Zedekiah and the ruin wrought by him. The mother is now likened to a vine which once was fruitful, and out of which grew strong rods as rulers. Her present condition is then described in contrast. Plucked up in fury, her strong rulers ceased, and out of her rods went forth a fire that destroyed. That is to say, Judah's final destruction had come through those having rule over her, and the reference undoubtedly was to Zedekiah.

Ezekiel 20

In this final section of the prophecies dealing with reprobation, the prophet in a series of messages set forth the righteousness thereof. In the seventh year of the reign of Jehoiachin, that is four years before the fall of Jerusalem, certain elders of Israel went down to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord.

The prophet was commissioned to declare to them that God would not be inquired of by them, and at the same time he was charged to make known to them the righteousness of the judgment falling on them. This he did, first by reviewing the past history of Israel. Israel had been delivered from Egypt and charged to put away all its abominations. They had rebelled, and had been punished. All this God had wrought for His name's sake, and in the interests of the nations. In the wilderness He gave them His statutes and showed them His judgments. There again they rebelled against Him, and He visited them with punishment. This also He wrought for His name's sake and in the interest of the nations. Their children He spared in the wilderness, and charged them to take warning by the failure of their fathers, urging them to walk in His statutes. Again the children rebelled against Him, and He punished them, and all this He wrought for His name's sake, and in the interests of the nations.

The prophet then passed to an examination of the more recent history. He first described how their fathers, having been brought into the land, had sinned in turning to its idolatries. This sin of the fathers had been repeated by the sons. Therefore the Lord would not be inquired of them. Having thus made clear to the elders that God would not be inquired of, he proceeded to announce the program of Jehovah concerning them. He would establish the fact of His Kingship over them by gathering them to the wilderness. What was meant by the wilderness the prophet then explained as he described their passing under the rod, and the process of purging them of those in their midst who were in rebellion against Him. The result of this wilderness process would be ultimately the restoration of Israel, and the sanctification of Jehovah in them in the sight of all the nations. Israel would have new understanding of Jehovah, and come to know that the perpetual reason for His operation was the glory of His name, and not merely punishing them for their evil ways, that is to say, the punishment of Jehovah was never merely vindictive, but always a process moving toward the realization of His original intention of good to the nations of the earth.

After the delivery of this message to the elders of Israel the prophet was commissioned to set his face toward the south and prophesy against its forest. The burden of the message was announcing that an unquenchable fire, kindled by Jehovah, would utterly destroy it. The parabolic nature of this charge perplexed the prophet, and he complained to Jehovah that the people said of him that he was a speaker of parables.