Ezekiel 14: 1 – 23
‘The answer is!’
“1 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”’ 6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. 9 “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, 11 that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord GOD.’” 12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD. 15 “If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate. 17 “Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it, 18 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered. 19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, 20 even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” 21 For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? 22 Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord GOD.”
To reflect for a moment of what we have been reviewing in the book of Ezekiel, the prophet along with other Jews were living as exiled captives in Babylon. The Lord God Almighty had selected Ezekiel as His prophet. Besides giving His prophet messages regarding the present and future conditions of the nation of Judah, specifically the political, religious, and moral climate of the capital city of Jerusalem, the Lord had information to tell the people living in exile. We begin this chapter in noticing that the elders of Israel had come to Ezekiel wanting to hear about any new information from The Holy Yahweh. The are going to find out that the message is going to be about them.
“ 1 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?”
A good question I would like to ask is this, ‘ Why is God talking to the people in Babylon?’ I mean after all these people are hundreds and hundreds of miles away living in captivity. Haven’t they already gone through the price or penalty of their sins? Sure the Jews living in Jerusalem need to be punished. So, why keep harping to us about what they are doing? It was Ezekiel’s responsibility to let the people living in exile know that they shared the condemnation of Jerusalem because of their continued sinful ways. You can take the people away from the sin that they developed in the Holy Land but you can’t take the sin away from the heart that desires to keep on sinning. Geographic changes do not relieve problems.
The major issue that we have been talking about was idolatry. There was really no difference from those who were still in Jerusalem and those living elsewhere. They both practiced idolatry.
Notice that ‘some’ not all of the elders came to Ezekiel to hear a message from the Lord. Our Holy Lord God Almighty is All Knowing. Do we not realize that He knows not only our thoughts but also the motivations behind the thoughts? That is why He Is called the ‘Wonderful Counselor in the book of Isaiah. The Holy Yahweh, Father God, looked upon these Jewish leaders and knew that their hearts were not sold out for Him. The bible describes them as ‘Double-minded’
The book of 1 Kings mentions this type of behavior, 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
Our Lord Jesus gives us great insight in how to act as listed in the Gospel of Matthew, 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Some additional golden nuggets of wisdom are given to us by our Lord’s half brother James as he gives us instructions as guided by the Holy Ghost.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
They had made The Only Holy Living God’s advice as one among others. Here is a big sin – Compromise. They believed in Yahweh to a certain extent, but they wanted information from a variety of sources, including from sources in the enemies land where they are being held as captives.
‘Stumble into iniquity’ is a powerful statement. The few words have a major impact in its message. You see it refers to starting out with what seems as something small and harmless. I could bring up a whole slew of examples, but let me just list one and hope you catch the drift of its impact. You go to a Christmas party and someone offers you a little wine and ginger ale. This can lead to a future social event where you are brave enough to order a mild type of wine by itself. Not knowing how it all started, you are not drinking alcohol every day and are getting drunk much of the time. What started off so small and harmless has now taken over your life. So too is messing around with what seems harmless, like going to a fortune teller at some fair, or playing with demonic games on Halloween can turn to a life riddled with evil and harm. You wind up getting involved in this seemingly innocent item or act and it causes you to stumble into future willful sins.
The more you take the time to just meditate on His Word, the more I see His Mercy and Grace toward us. Boy is He Amazing. He knows our evil hearts but loves us just the same. Look at this great information about this point that is given to us by our Lord in the Psalms 139,
“1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”
Here He Is getting ready to bring the hammer of Judgment down on the residents of Jerusalem and a bunch of hypocrites come in false humility and seek His Counsel. He asks His prophet, ‘should I be enquired of at all by them?’ They think that they can approach the only real and living God with all their garbage and think they could have Him receive them?
Psalm 66: 18 tells us, “18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.”
4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”’
The point that the Lord states here I use in counseling sessions. What I tell a person or couple is this, ‘do you want me to sugar coat my response or do you want me to tell you straight up about what I perceive is the problem?’ Our Holy Father informed Ezekiel to tell the elders that He would not pretend that everything was well. They would receive a straight answer on everything as it really was. He would reveal to them exactly what evil their hearts and minds were playing with as stated, ‘according to the multitude of his idols.’ He says, ‘you want an answer, I’ll give you an answer.’ They would hear and experience the practical consequences of their disbelief and disobedience. Their sin of idolatry not only included other false gods but added immorality.
God would ‘seize the house of Israel by their heart.’ The old statement is ‘much more is caught than taught’. From allowing the full measure of the evil that was thought and acted upon, the lesson learned after the sin had run its course would hopefully lead to repentance.
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”
I do not know about you but sometimes I look at the Bible and wonder why so much repetition? It seems like you read one chapter and then you read in other chapters basically the same thing. The Lord however is faithful and I thank Him for the repetition. If you wanted to break up cement, how would you go about it? Would you just hit the cement one time? I don’t think so. You have to keep whacking at it until you crack through. Do you see here the same thing? Our Lord keeps using the same repetition over and over again until He can break through the hard surfaces of our sinful pursuits. Our Idolatry takes on many forms today, sex, money, education, work, etc. The answer comes from Him and it is to repent and come back to His Loving care.
But the people were doing the same things we do. They want to continue to do the evil that they are involved in and still try to come to God for help. I see this all the time in counseling. People are pulling all kinds of sinful acts in their lives. They are going to Psychiatrists and Psychologists for help. They are taking drugs [ O sorry, medication] to relive the pain even to the extent of increasing the dosage and it still isn’t working. Then they show up at church wanting God to make it all better. I am not trying to be harsh. All they have to do is right in front of them. You point out the truth but they do not want to repent and stop doing the evil. They have excuses for everything. O Lord please have mercy on us. Help us to get the strength to turn around.
The people of Israel like us sought out the prophet to try to justify their actions. They along with us will not like the answer from God. He sets His face against us. Now what does that mean? Have you ever felt like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling? Do you feel like God has abandoned you? Then you know the feeling. God lets us know in such ways for us to come and know that things are not okay. You keep up with the sinful lifestyle and you and others will remember the difficulties. In some cases you will actually be a sign to other people to stay clear. You heard the old statement, ‘stand back because lightning is going to strike’ - you become a testimony that God will not condone sin and unfaithfulness. You ask, in what way would this manifest itself? Look around; you know the answer to this. How about being arrested, accidents, drug and alcohol problems, financial issues, sickness – do I need to go on in this awful list?
I have learned that saying you are sorry is not enough. It is just a cop out. Actually, what you are saying is that you are feeling sorry for yourself. If you want to do what is right, then seek forgiveness. Because when you do that you own your sin. You do not blame it on anyone else; or sugar coat it; or minimize it. You know that you have done wrong things and you want to get it right again. Honesty is where you begin to turn around.
Look at this neat statement, ‘the strangers who sojourn in Israel’. What so special about this statement? A believer impacts non-believers, whether you know it or not. When you are a believer and you are doing things contrary to God’s will in hanging out with non-believers, our Holy God holds them responsible for the actions also. For example, you, who are a believer, go and use drugs. You should know that God is not going to let you get away with this act because you are His child. You will experience His chastisement. If you are with a group of non-believers they will experience being caught with you by the police, or harmed, or something worse. These non-believers are held responsible for the truth. We might say, ‘Hey that is too harsh’, well look at what our Lord says in the book of Leviticus chapter 20,
“1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. 4 And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, 5 then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.6 ‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”
9 “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired,”
Another way to look at verse 9 would be, ‘And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I Yahweh have deceived that prophet.’ Wow! Do you see what our Lord is saying here? If people continue to persist in idolatry, then our God will give them up to this useless pursuit. He will actually provide the people with false prophets who will continue to deceive them - they will get the teachers that they deserve. It is kind of like America who keeps rejecting God. He is giving us the evil corrupt leaders that we deserve. You see it in churches. If you do not want His pure word, then you will get what you bargained for – worthless public speakers. The end result is death and destruction.
We see though a balance here. Both the false prophet and the individual are intertwined. The preacher is not only held responsible for his message but also the recipitant of the message is held liable for the truth whether fed the correct information or not. It is pretty scary – no?
“11 that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord GOD.’”
If you have ever watched animal adventure films you have probably watched a mother animal, bird, or fish display to its young the lessons of survival of stalking prey. It is sometimes cute to see the young pretend to act out a stalking technique and pretend to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. Usually it involves another sibling. We see here our Loving Lord give a description of a benefit even for horrible conditions. God’s teaching for His children was so they could see and learn from the judgments in order to stop doing what was wrong and return to Him.
“12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD.”
We see here beginning in verse 12 a new word of instruction from God. We see back in the book of Genesis chapter 18 our Holy God holding back judgment because of the condition of having a righteous man in its midst.
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20 And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26 So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” 27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” 30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” 32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.”
There was only one man found righteous in Sodom – Lot. The times for the righteous deferring judgment was past even if righteous men were around or involved. We are declared righteous because of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. His Righteousness has been imparted to us believers by His sacrifice on the cross.
You would think the list of ‘righteous’ men would include Abraham, Joshua, or David just to name a few. But they are left out of this list. Moses and Samuel are spoken well by our Precious Holy Spirit in Jeremiah chapter 15, “1 Then the LORD said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.”
Only Daniel, Job, and Noah make God’s list of special recognition. Look at these verses,
Genesis 6: 9, “9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”
Job 1: 1, “1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.”
“1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”
For 120 years Noah witnessed to others by his persistence obedience in building the ark. Yet at the end of his project, judgment came upon evil mankind. Job was well known and respected by past and future generations yet he still experienced suffering. The mention of Daniel is even more interesting in that he was probably alive during this time. The mention of a current hero like Daniel is especially impacting to the Jews of this time period. This national celebrity was not spared the experience of judgment as he went through the terrible hardships of war.
15 “If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.”
A land that was once populated and ceases to exist reverts back to its original position. Look at South America. The Incas were a mighty group of inhabitants. Yet because invaders from Europe came and destroyed this empire, the jungles have reclaimed this territory. It took many exploratory expeditions to discover the Inca ruins. Here we see that a nation that is destroyed and some of the results – wild animals take over the area. This situation does not just happen overnight but displays a long time frame from destruction to the primeval conditions.
Daniel did not have any children because it says that he was probably made a eunuch as we read in Daniel chapter 1,“1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. 8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.” 11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.”
We read that the three godly men would be spared but not their children. Noah’s children were spared in the flood. Lot’s children were all killed by Satan’s influence.
17 “Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it, 18 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.”
The Lord is kicking it up a notch in devastation. It is about the same effects as a nuclear bomb. Everything including anything living would be destroyed. Now that is total judgment. That is how bad the situation was and how our Holy Lord felt about the ultimate effects.
19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, 20 even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”
Remember that when twice our God mentions something, it is done to bring His readers the seriousness of the action. It seems as these verses are the same but they are not. We see now the additional effects of war – pestilence. When you have a bunch of dead bodies lying around then disease sets in. Our Lord had pointed out the horror to his people who walked away from Him and sought out demonic gods to follow in Leviticus chapter 26,
14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you. I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. 18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. 21 ‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate. 23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied. 27 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. 31 I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. 32 I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. 34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest—for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it. 36 ‘And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues. 37 They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues;and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away. 40 ‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt— 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. 43 The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.’”
21 For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? 22 Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord GOD.
The four horrors of war are described in verse 21. The sword refers to the deaths caused by war. The famine results from all crops, trees, and animals being destroyed. The wild beasts as described before take over what is left vacant. And lastly, disease runs rampant from death and decay.
The comfort we may take from this awful descriptions is about our Lord’s Mercy. As Leviticus chapter 26 reveals that our Lord is quick to restore. The people will be able to take encouragement that the Lord is Righteous in His Judgment and Loving in His ultimate reestablishment of new relationships with people.
