Ezekiel 20: 1 – 26
History Class Part 1
“1 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.5 “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God.’ 6 On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands. 7 Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ 8 But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ 9 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. 10 “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ 12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. 13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands, 16 because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness. 18 “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’ 21 “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; t hey did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;[e] but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, 24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols. 25 “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD.”’
I have always liked the description of the word ‘history’ as ‘His Story’. Our Lord is the best history teacher. He knows every detail of every thing that has ever happened. So, when He gives a history lesson you know it contains all the truth of what really happened. Our Lord in chapter 20 will give us a detailed description of what He had done for the Jews beginning with their captivity in Egypt. He will describe His Awesome Protection and Provision for His people while they wandered in the wilderness. He will display His Faithfulness to His Promises as He brings the Israelite into the land of Canaan.
Our Holy Yahweh will explain the great things that He planned to do with and for His people. He will peal back the curtain to reveal the spiritual side of His dealings. The Jews did not see or understand how He withheld His hand of Judgment. Although they had forsaken Him, He loved them and watched over them for the sake of His own Name and reputation. [Bless You Oh Righteous Holy One]
In the end He even pronounces love, forgiveness, and restoration for His people the Jews. With this issuance He will show all the nations of the world how great and marvelous He Is..
“ 1 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.”
Skeptics continue from age to age to try to disprove the Bible. However, every time their attempts are foiled. The visit of the elders to Ezekiel happened during the captivity of king Jehoiachin. This occurred in 591/0 BC
‘that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.” – why did they gather together and make a visit to see Ezekiel? I believe that they were aware of Zedekiah’s attempted alliance with Egypt and wanted to secure a divine revelation concerning the outcome. We read in the book of 2 kings chapter 24 Zedekiah’s rebellion against the king of Babylon, “20 For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”
If the Lord says something then why would we ask Him again for a possible different answer? Thorough the Prophet Jeremiah the Holy One issued the action His people should take. We read in chapter 27 this, “12 I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you; 15 for I have not sent them,” says the LORD, “yet they prophesy a lie in My name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
‘Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,’ is a significant phrase throughout this book. Remember that Ezekiel was prevented from talking by God. He was only allowed to speak if He had a direct message from the Lord. This fact in itself would make the visit to this prophets house quite thrilling.
3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’
We take our Holy Lord for granted. When are told that He Is available to us 24/7. In many cases He becomes for us the ‘Emergency God’. We go about our daily lives without thinking much about Him. However, when we are in dire straights, then ‘Help Lord!’. What we read here in verse 3 might be a shock to you. The elders or leaders of the captive Jews in Babylon thought that they could just show up and seek God’s audience – not so! They found out pretty quick that He would not speak to them. He would not be the magic genie that would tell them the answers that they were seeking.
“4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.”
The leaders wound up getting what they had not ever expected. Instead of getting an answer to their questions, they had the hammer of judgment brought down on them. King David was a man after God’s own heart. Maybes that is why we see the unique results of some of his judgments. Let take a look at such a one from the book of 2 Samuel chapter 4,
“1 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart, and all Israel was troubled. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For Beeroth also was part of Benjamin, 3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.5 Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. 6 And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.” 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, 10 when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?” 12 So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.”
If our Holy God gave you the same instructions that He gave to Ezekiel, what would you say to them in judgment? The Holy One informed Ezekiel to remind the Israelites of their disobedience and rebellion against the One Who was their Loving Lord and Savior. God had been good to them over and over and now they have the gall to come to Him like nothing was wrong between them and their Maker?
5 “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God.’ 6 On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.”
Our Holy Sovereign God picked out one human being to begin a new work in this world. His name was Abram, which our Holy One changed to Abraham. He had a son by the name of Isaac whose wife bore him Jacob. Our Lord changed his name to Israel. God gathered Israel and all his family, which at the time was 70 individuals and settled them in Egypt for 400 years. He took care of them there and greatly blessed them. A question you may ask yourself is why did God send them to Egypt when He wanted to place them in the land of Canaan? My thinking to this question is this. I have observed our God judge people and nations by their moral standards. For example, Sodom and Gomorrah had become so wicked that there was no turning back the hand of judgment. Our God Is not only totally Righteous, He Is also Faithful and True in His Judgments. He acts always at the right time. The people of Canaan became more evil year by year. God desires that no one should perish. He waited those 400 years for the Canaanites to turn or grow to the point of no return. In this case the human sin nature rarely turns but continues in acts and behaviors more depraved that first started.
When the fullness of His timing came to bring the Israelites back to the land of Canaan they were not ready to leave. They had begun to settle into living in the land of Egypt. Like the Israelites we also need to examine ourselves to be ready to leave this temporary residence. In the Gospel of Luke we read about our Lord Jesus Christ’s warning to us to be prepared at all times, 34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
The Lord had searched out the land for His elect and it was a good land yet they were content being where they presently at, so He with a strong hand got them out of the land of Egypt so He could bless them and also fulfill His promise. The term ‘lifted up my hand’ is where you take an oath. Our Lord promised Abraham that He would give to him and his descendents the land of Canaan and He Is Faithful to fulfill those promises. Has God promised you anything? If you can’t think of anything get your face back into the word of God for there are over 30 thousand promises of God to you in there. Go on a treasure hunt.
Look at the sequence of events performed by God, which He did for the Israelites. Stop and meditate that He has done the same thing for you and me.
Exodus 3: 6- 8 reports, “6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.”
Exodus 6: 2 – 8 informs us, 2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’”
He chooses, then He made Himself known, He made a promise, and then He fulfilled His promise. It does not get any better than that.
7 Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
This verse uncovers a lot of information for us. For example, I have mentioned that the Israelites had settled in and were not ready to move out of the land of Egypt. Why did God allow them to suffer in order to get them have a desire to leave Egypt? Let us take a look at these nuggets of gold for the Word of God,
Exodus 32: 1 – 4, “1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
Exodus 33: 5, “5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’”
Leviticus 18:3, “3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.”
Do you see what these verses are saying? While in Egypt the Israelite began to adopt the lifestyles of the natives. This included the pagan worship. ‘The abominations of their eyes’ were the Jewish people partaking of the pagan rituals. The jewelry or ornaments were connected with the idol worship practices. The Israelites had become unfaithful to God in the land of Egypt. It wasn’t something unique that they made a golden calf. They were use to this type of worship and when pressured by the absence of Moses, they reverted back to the acts that they had become familiar with.
Have you experience the same thing in your lives? We call it ‘backslidden’. Have you decided to get back in touch with old friends or participate in former lifestyles? What was the outcome? We need to remember that we have the cross of Christ Jesus our Lord before us and the world behind us. There is no turning back. The Gospel of Matthew chapter 10 reinforces this point for us, 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
I had always wondered why they went through so much suffering. I had figured that our Lord had to set a fire under them to want to move out of Egypt, but now looking at the verses above I see our Lord dealing with their faithlessness to His Goodness. May we all understand and take heed to the sins of the Israelites and by God’s Holy Mercy, Grace, and Guidance we can walk in total obedience to His Will.
8 But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’
We have the problem of leaving a forwarding address from our past. So did the Israelites. They did not totally forsake their old lifestyles. Do you think that this was okay with our Holy Yahweh? In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 22 our Lord Jesus Christ points out to us the commitment that he wants from us, “34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Israelites while in Egypt were rebellious and were not totally sold out for their ever Living and Working Holy Jehovah. The Holy Righteous Judge was about to pour out His fury on them. What they went through was nothing in comparison to what could have been done to them. He did not do so. Why? - Because of His Good Name. They were called as His people and others were observing them. Moses knew this Mercy from God and used it in his prayer to God when the people deserved to be smitten as the book of Exodus chapter 33 explains to us, “1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”4 And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’” 6 So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb. 7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. 11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. 12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
“9 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.”
Thank God for Himself. He Is So Pure and Holy. We on the other hand are a fallen race. We need to stop and meditate on how Great He Is. There is none like Him. He alone Is Perfect in all that He does. He always Was, Is, and ever Shall Be the Great Majestic Jehovah Nissi. May we run to Him as our only Banner.
Psalm 106: 8 says, “8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power known.”
Isaiah 48: 9 reveals this, 9 “ For My name’s sake I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off.
Jeremiah 14: 7 reports in addition, 7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against You.”
Jeremiah 14; 21 also informs us, “21 Do not abhor us, for Your name’s sake; do not disgrace the throne of Your glory. Remember, do not break Your covenant with us.”
Our Holy Lord did not discipline His People, as they deserved, due to His Righteous protection of His Holy Name. Stop and realize that our God does every thing for us due to His outstanding Love. Phony gods, which are demon backed, seek humans to do all kinds of nasty things in order to somehow please them, like killing your own babies. The nations of the world have witnessed the great and amazing miracles the Lord had performed on behalf of the Jewish people. His Name was on the line and His deliverance of these stiff-necked individuals proved to the world how Great a True God He Is.
10 “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’
Does God have to remind you how He has delivered you from the sins of the world? How quickly we forget. Over and over throughout the bible we read scripture where our Holy Lord reviews our past vile existence and how He delivered the Israelites. His word today, as we reflect on His deliverance, many times speaks to our own hearts and we realize how He has done the same for us. Do we not? After freeing the people from the oppression of slavery The Holy King and Ruler brought His people to Mount Sinai and gave them all the rules they would need to lead a blessed and happy life. We read about all of this principally in chapter 20 of the book of Exodus,
“1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 8 “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 “ Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” 18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” 20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. 22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’
“12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
One might not guess that the Sabbath was a sign of God to His people and to the nations of the world. Besides recognizing God’s Mercy and Grace towards His people in that He was providing a whole day of rest, the Sabbath served to remind the Israelites of their Creator God and that He was also the One Who Created their nation.
“13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.”
Think with me for a moment. Put yourselves directly in the place of the Israelites. You are out in the middle of nowhere. You have just been freed from brutal slavery by the direct hand of God. He has greatly and miraculously done awesome acts, which you have personally witnessed. He has fed you, given you water to drink, and has protected you from enemies. How would you respond to this wonderful care? Would you be praising Him throughout each day? No, we would probably act like the Israelites. No matter what He did or said to them, it wasn’t appreciated. They like us rebelled against Him every chance they got. If He gave them rules and directions [statues] they would not obey and follow. When He gave a judgment, they grumbled and complained about His decisions being wrong or unfair. And even when He gave them a day off to rest and spend time with Him and their families, they defiled His Holiness by working or ignoring His Commands. How do you think our Holy Yahweh should respond to this treatment?
14 But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
Our response would probably be – ‘Wipe them out!’ This is not what our Lord does. Because He knows that all the nations of the world were looking on the developments of this group of people, He spared them. Other kingdoms stood in amazement of what a Loving and Gracious God these Israelites had. No wonder people would flock from around the world to get to hear and see what wonders this Beautiful and Amazing God did.
“15 So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands,”
Look at verse 6 again. He had sworn to bring them out into a good land. Verse 15 is the opposite. Now He raises His hand and swears that the current generation would not enter the land. Their children would, whereby He would still keep His promise, but because of their sins they would not experience His awesome blessings of entering the Promised Land.
“16 because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.”
We see here in verse 16 the reason for their actions. The Holy Ruling Sovereign Lord’s ways were ignored, now stop and think of this, ‘for the sake of their idols’. Their idols are more important than the ever Living Holy One. Sometimes in dealing with counseling I will confront a person and point out what the truth is, they love what they are doing more then loving the Lord or their families.
“17 Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.”
He could have wiped them all out and started over if He so felt. Would He be right in doing so? – Absolutely! Yet, again in His Mercy and Goodness He spared this evil generation’s children and let them receive His Blessings.
18 “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’
So, in a way He did start over. This time with the children of the disobedient adults. He set out the policy of His Covenant with people that He just wanted to Love and take care of. Is this to hard a thing to accept?
21 “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.”
You got to be kidding. Is this a broken record or what? If this doesn’t point out what a Great, Loving, Long Suffering, Merciful, Sweet, and Awesome Holy One our Wonderful Lord Is, nothing can. Would you put up with anyone who kept doing this to you? Thank God for Himself!
22 Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, 24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols. 25 “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD.”’
Where or when would this merry go round end? If you check, Our Holy Yahweh although extending His hand of Mercy Is responding to this continual rebellion of the nation of Israel. You will notice that each time of deserved Judgment comes into play, that although our Merciful Lord does not wipe them off the face of the earth, He does initiate action against them. For example, the rebellion by the people in the Wilderness resulted in them losing the opportunity of going into the Promised Land .The next generation who fell away faced wars, famines, pestilences, and other difficulties that would get their attention. Here this new rebellious generation would face the ultimate discipline where they would be cast out of the Lord’s Land. Since they loved their idols so much, He would disperse them to all the different lands that practiced all these garbage rituals.
To me this verse is a scary one, 25 “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD.” If you keep on insisting on polluting God’s Word and failing to obey His truth, then He will give you finally what you are seeking – False teachers and false directions. The Holy Yahweh withdrew His Guidance, Admonition, and Protection and gave the people what they cried out for.
The Bible says are hearts our wicked and devious. Left to ourselves we will spiral downward. As the comedian W. C. Fields once replied when someone spotted him reading the Bible, he responded, ‘ I’m just looking for loopholes’. He was saying a truthful statement. We often try to soften the requirements of God to the point of total insanity. Do you think the people of Israel enjoyed killing their children? Do you not believe that what they had started to do was what they thought was a right thing to do. Yes, they had drifted into believing that murdering their own babies would benefit them in the long run.
Another way of saying “and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts’, is , ‘I polluted them in their own gifts.’ Their gifts were designed and meant to be purely offered to the only True and Living God – Yahweh. Through the offering of a animal sacrifice and a small financial offering the Holy Lord redeemed the first born. In forsaking the Lord and turning to the worship of pagan idols athe people chose to enter into the practice of actually killing their own little babies.
We become what we worship. If we worship the world we become hard, selfish, greedy, ruthless, and everything despicable. If we worship our Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we become loving, peaceful, joyful, kind, merciful, and have self-control
The book of Romans chapter 1 tells us about the permissive will of our Holy God. “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,[c] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
He IS Sovereign over everything. Because they had chosen the wrong path and forsook the only real God, He stood aside and left them reap the wages of their sins. If we all just took a few minutes to compare the Great Merciful and Loving Jehovah to other wannabees, we would see clearly the difference. Our God IS Good – all others are evil.
