Ezekiel 20: 27 – 44
History Class Part 2
“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’ 30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations? 31 For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32 What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’ 33 “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. 36 Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD. 37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. 42 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. 44 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord GOD.’” 45 Furthermore the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South, 47 and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. 48 All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”’” 49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’”
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
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.
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.”
The Israelites were a group of former slaves, like we all were, whom He gave a Great and free land to live in along with bundles of Blessings. He was the only One Who did this. The people offered up sacrifices, presented gifts, poured out drinks and burned sweet incense to other so-called gods. Our Holy Lord spoke of the ‘provocation’ of their offerings because the people were giving credit to these things for all the things our Holy Adoni Yahweh gave them.
29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’
Throughout the Bible we read Scripture, which has been translated, from Hebrew or Greek to our English language. Here the word ‘Bama’ is not translated. It means ‘High Places’. If however you break down the word into ‘Ba’ which means ‘go’ and ‘ma’ which means ‘where or what’, you derive a new thought. It means in effect ‘you are going no where’ or ‘you are going for what?’
30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations? 31 For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32 What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’
We need to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts daily. David asked the Lord to search out his heart and reveal to him anything wrong so that he could get it out of his life. If our moral state is not right then how can our spiritual state be right. Just as our Lord rebuked the elders for having the audacity to come to Him to enquire about current economic and political conditions were so also are we precluded from hearing the Word of God when we have not dealt with the sin in our lives. He wants us to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.
Do you want to hear from God? Do you want Him to answer your prayers? Do you want His Guidance? Look at these passages;
Psalm 37: 4, “4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
Proverbs 3: 5 – 6, “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Isaiah 30: 21, “21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “ This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”
It is always our desire to fit in and be accepted. You notice the young people trying to be different, yet they all are trying to be different together. Thus, they all fit in with the current culture and so they really are not different at all. However, we need to stop and realize that like the Israelites we are not to fit in. We are in the world but not of the world. When we try to fit into both worlds it is as if we have lost our minds. You cannot live to two places at the same time. Our Lord points out the absurdity of worshiping trees and rocks in place of the ever Living Holy God.
33 “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.”
Have you ever read or heard from any other god the statement, ‘As I live!’ Our Holy Creator proved to the people what is real and what is phony. You heard I am sure somebody say, ‘Is that a threat?’ or ‘Are you threatening me?’ Our God Is All Powerful and He says what He means, and means what He says! His response is, ‘Yes, I AM threatening you!’ surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.” Our Precious Magnificent King says, ‘I will assert My Rule over you despite your resistence.’ He will not let them or us go. Thank you, thank you Father!
34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. 36 Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.
This verse rips me to the core. Look at what our Beautiful Lord has to do. He has to plead with us to come back to Him. Oh, Lord forgive me, forgive us. In the book of Isaiah chapter 1 we see a passage that I know that you are familiar with, 18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Have you ever been dumped by someone that you were madly in love with? If so did you ever experience the pain and act of pleading with the person not to leave? If you have ever gone through this then you have a little taste of the heartbreak our Lord has gone through and is going through for ones that He Is in love with. Unfortunately, once a love has played the fool and gone after another, sadly there is rarely a return. The end has come. Death of a relationship is the result.
37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
The ‘passing under the rod’ refers to shepherds and their sheep. The shepherd will examine each sheep as is goes through a narrow passage to pull our those sheep who may have problems. Look at these Scripture passages;
Matthew 7: 13 - 14, 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
John 10: 1 – 16, 1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Matthew 25: 31 – 46, 31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Not all the sheep would enter into the shepherd’s pen. Just so will our Holy God separate out those who will enter His Kingdom.
39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.”
It comes down to this one question. Who do you want to serve and worship? Choose you this day! If you think you can be neutral you are wrong. If you do not respond quickly and joyously to the only One and True God then you have chosen the other. You can’t be neutral.
“40 For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.”
In these verses we read of the ‘Diaspora’ of the Jews. Our Lord has scattered His people into all the countries of the world. He will bring back to His land His people. This by the way happened in our lifetimes – May 14, 1948.
What about the term ‘all Israel’?. Paul reminds us in Romans chapter 9 this, “1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. 6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? 22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”
Not all of Israel are the true Israel. The disobedient and rebels will be purged out and only those who respond and obey will once again worship and serve the Holy Adoni Yahweh.
42” Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.”
When you turn your life over to the care and Lordship of our Precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you become sinless and sin less. What do I mean? Our Lord Jesus’ finished work on the cross once and for all has paid the price of our death sentience. He exchanged His Righteousness for our sinfulness. We are justified or in His Eyes ‘just as though we had never sinned against Him’. Our past, present, and future sins were washed away by the Precious Blood of Jesus. So you could possibly say we are sinless.
Then why did I also say we sin less. We still sin but because our Holy Ghost Is doing a new work in our lives, we sin less but repent more. I don’t know about you but when I sin I feel guilty. I have hurt the One I Love. So, I keep on constantly asking forgiveness for hurting Him and seek His help in sinning less.
44 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord GOD.’”
As bad as all this is in what we have read so far, it is also good. You see we need to be totally bankrupt. There is nothing that we can do to make us worthy of God’s Love and His selection of us. It is all up to Him and all about Him. When you are totally empty then the good news is that you have a lot of space in which to be filled. If you are at the bottom of the well then the good news is that the only way left is up. He puts us in this position and by His Mercy and Grace He bestows the Blessings.
Now we have a few more verses left in chapter 20 that will be covered in the study of chapter 21. You see in the Hebrew Bible chapter 20 ends with verse 44. We read of a new word of God to His Prophet. The teaching moves from the overall view of Israel’s history to the future of God’s certain Judgment.
