Ezekiel Chapter 20
Ezekiel 20
Israel’s History of Sin, God’s History of Mercy
Ezekiel 20 records another visit from the elders of Israel, who came to inquire of the LORD through Ezekiel. The LORD refuses their inquiry because their hearts and history were marked by repeated rebellion. Instead of giving them the kind of answer they expected, God commands Ezekiel to rehearse Israel’s long history of sin, beginning in Egypt, continuing through the wilderness, and extending into the Promised Land. Yet the chapter is not only a history of Israel’s sin. It is also a history of God’s mercy. Again and again, Israel rebelled, and again and again, God restrained judgment for His name’s sake. The chapter moves from Israel’s past rebellion, to God’s future restoration, to the promise that He will rule over His people, purge the rebels, restore true worship, and be sanctified before the nations. The uploaded notes emphasize Israel’s repeated idolatry, God’s refusal to be consulted by hypocritical inquirers, His mercy for His name’s sake, and His future work of restoration and covenant correction.
A. God’s mercy to Israel in Egypt and the wilderness.
1. Ezekiel 20:1-4, Elders of Israel visit Ezekiel to inquire of the LORD.
Ezekiel 20:1, And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
Ezekiel 20:2, Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 20:3, Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
Ezekiel 20:4, Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
In the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month gives a specific date for this prophecy. Ezekiel’s ministry is rooted in real history, not vague religious imagination. This event took place after the earlier visions and messages, as the exiles continued to live in Babylon while Jerusalem still stood under judgment’s shadow.
Certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me shows that the elders recognized Ezekiel as a prophet. Outwardly, their posture looked proper. They came to inquire of the LORD and sat before the prophet. Yet the LORD knew the condition of their hearts. This scene is similar to Ezekiel 14, where elders also came before Ezekiel while harboring idols in their hearts.
Ezekiel 14:1, Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Ezekiel 14:2, And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 14:3, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face, should I be enquired of at all by them?
Are ye come to enquire of me? is not a request for information. It is a rebuke. The LORD exposes the hypocrisy of men who want a word from God while refusing submission to God. Religious inquiry without repentance is not acceptable to Him.
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you is the LORD’s oath-bound refusal. God is not obligated to answer those who come with divided hearts, hidden rebellion, and predetermined desires. He will not be treated as a religious counselor by men who have no intention of obeying what He has already revealed.
Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? means Ezekiel is to bring a case against them. The prophet must expose the guilt of Israel’s history so that the elders can see that their present condition is not accidental or unjust. Their own fathers, and they themselves, have walked in abominations.
Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers introduces the historical review that follows. The elders came wanting an answer, but God gives them a history lesson. The point is plain, Israel’s current crisis is not because God failed. It is because Israel has repeated rebellion from generation to generation.
2. Ezekiel 20:5-7, God’s oath to Israel.
Ezekiel 20:5, And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD, In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God,
Ezekiel 20:6, In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
Ezekiel 20:7, Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt, I am the LORD your God.
In the day when I chose Israel begins the story with divine election and grace. Israel did not choose herself into covenant privilege. God chose Israel. The nation’s existence as the covenant people rests on the sovereign choice and mercy of the LORD.
Lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob refers to God swearing an oath. The image is of one raising the hand in solemn pledge. God bound Himself by promise to the descendants of Jacob.
Made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt shows that God revealed Himself to Israel while they were still in bondage. He came to them before they were free, before they were strong, and before they had anything to boast in.
I am the LORD your God is covenant language. The LORD identified Himself as Israel’s God. This was grace, privilege, and responsibility. The God who chose them also commanded them.
To bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them recalls God’s promise to bring Israel out of slavery and into the land promised to the fathers. The land was not chosen by Israel’s wisdom. God had searched it out and appointed it for them.
God had already promised this land to Abraham and his descendants.
Genesis 12:1, Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father‘s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Genesis 12:2, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12:3, And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God later repeated the promise in connection with the Exodus.
Exodus 6:8, And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it you for an heritage, I am the LORD.
Flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands describes Canaan as a land of abundance and beauty. God was not bringing them from Egypt into emptiness. He was bringing them into inheritance, blessing, and covenant purpose.
Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes shows that God’s grace demanded a response. Israel was to cast away the idols and abominations that were before their eyes. They could not belong to the LORD while clinging to the gods of Egypt.
Defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt shows that idolatry was already a danger before Sinai, before the conquest, and before the monarchy. Israel’s idolatry did not begin late in her history. Even in Egypt, she was tempted by false gods.
I am the LORD your God gives the reason for separation. Because the LORD was their God, Egypt’s idols had to be rejected. Covenant identity required covenant loyalty.
3. Ezekiel 20:8-9, God’s mercy to Israel’s early disobedience while still in Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:8, But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me, they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt, then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:9, But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me shows that Israel’s rebellion began early. While still in Egypt, they resisted the LORD’s command. God had chosen them, revealed Himself to them, and promised deliverance, but they would not listen as they should.
They did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt means many Israelites remained attached to Egyptian idolatry. Their bodies were in bondage to Pharaoh, but their hearts were also defiled by Egypt’s gods. The Exodus was not only a deliverance from slavery. It was also meant to separate Israel from idolatry.
This explains why Israel later turned so quickly to the golden calf. That idolatrous impulse did not appear out of nowhere.
Exodus 32:1, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us, for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Exodus 32:2, And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
Exodus 32:3, And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Exodus 32:4, And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 32:5, And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
Exodus 32:6, And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Joshua later called Israel to put away the gods served in Egypt.
Joshua 24:14, Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt, and serve ye the LORD.
Jeroboam later repeated the sin of golden calf worship in the northern kingdom.
1 Kings 12:28, Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them means Israel deserved judgment even in Egypt. If God had acted only according to justice, He could have destroyed them before they ever reached the wilderness.
But I wrought for my name’s sake reveals the ground of God’s mercy. Israel did not give God a reason in themselves to spare them. God acted for His own name. His mercy was tied to His glory, His promise, and His public revelation among the nations.
That it should not be polluted before the heathen means God’s reputation among the nations was involved. He had made Himself known as Israel’s God. If He destroyed them in Egypt, the nations would profane His name and misunderstand His purpose.
In whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt shows that the Exodus was public revelation. God delivered Israel so the nations would know that He is the LORD. Israel’s unworthiness did not cancel God’s purpose to glorify His name through them.
4. Ezekiel 20:10-17, God’s mercy to a disobedient Israel in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:10, Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:11, And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
Ezekiel 20:12, Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Ezekiel 20:13, But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness, they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them, and my sabbaths they greatly polluted, then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
Ezekiel 20:14, But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
Ezekiel 20:15, Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands,
Ezekiel 20:16, Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths, for their heart went after their idols.
Ezekiel 20:17, Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness shows that God kept His promise despite Israel’s rebellion. He brought them out by His power. The Exodus was not earned by Israel’s faithfulness. It was accomplished by the LORD’s covenant mercy.
I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments refers to the giving of the law at Sinai. God did not merely rescue Israel from Egypt. He revealed His will to them and taught them how to live as His covenant people.
Which if a man do, he shall even live in them reflects the principle of covenant life under the Mosaic law. This is not teaching eternal salvation by works. It teaches that obedience to God’s covenant order was the path of life, blessing, and preservation for Israel.
Leviticus 18:5, Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them, I am the LORD.
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them shows the covenant significance of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not merely a day of rest. It was a sign between the LORD and Israel, marking them as a people sanctified by Him.
Exodus 31:13, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Exodus 31:16, Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Exodus 31:17, It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever, for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
That they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them means the Sabbath testified that Israel was set apart by the LORD. Their holiness came from Him. They were not to live like Egypt or Canaan. They belonged to God.
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness shows that deliverance from Egypt did not cure Israel’s heart. They had seen God’s plagues, the Passover, the Red Sea, the cloud, the fire, the manna, and Sinai, yet still rebelled.
They walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments means their rebellion was not ignorance. They had received God’s statutes and judgments, but they refused them. To despise God’s judgments is to treat His word as worthless.
My sabbaths they greatly polluted shows that Israel defiled the covenant sign. The Sabbath was meant to display separation unto God, but they treated it with contempt.
Then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them means Israel again deserved destruction. Their rebellion at Sinai and throughout the wilderness merited God’s wrath.
One major example was the golden calf.
Exodus 32:7, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down, for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Exodus 32:8, They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them, they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
But I wrought for my name’s sake repeats the great theme. God restrained judgment because His name was at stake among the nations. Israel’s survival in the wilderness was not due to Israel’s worthiness, but to God’s covenant faithfulness and zeal for His own glory.
Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land refers to God’s oath that the unbelieving generation would not enter Canaan. They were spared from total destruction, but they were still judged. Mercy did not erase discipline.
Numbers 14:28, Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Numbers 14:29, Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Numbers 14:30, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths gives the reason. Their exclusion from the land was not arbitrary. It was covenant rebellion.
For their heart went after their idols identifies the root. Their outward disobedience flowed from inward idolatry. The heart that goes after idols cannot walk faithfully with the LORD.
Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them shows mercy. God did not make a complete end of Israel in the wilderness. He judged, but He preserved. He disciplined, but He did not abandon His covenant purpose.
5. Ezekiel 20:18-20, God’s appeal to Israel’s next generation in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:18, But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
Ezekiel 20:19, I am the LORD your God, walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them,
Ezekiel 20:20, And hallow my sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
But I said unto their children in the wilderness shows that God addressed the next generation. The first generation that came out of Egypt refused to trust and obey God, but the LORD did not abandon the children. He gave them a clear warning not to repeat their fathers’ sins.
Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers means the next generation was not bound to continue the rebellion of the previous generation. This connects with Ezekiel 18, where God emphasized individual responsibility. The children were responsible to reject their fathers’ idolatry and obey the LORD for themselves.
Neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols means Israel’s fathers had developed their own corrupt patterns, values, and decisions. The children were not to treat ancestral tradition as automatically righteous. When fathers rebel against God, sons must not follow them.
I am the LORD your God again grounds the command in covenant relationship. The LORD is their God. Therefore, they must walk in His statutes, not in the idolatrous ways of their fathers.
Walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them shows that true covenant loyalty is active obedience. God did not call them to sentiment, slogans, or mere national identity. He called them to walk, keep, and do.
Hallow my sabbaths repeats the importance of the Sabbath as the covenant sign. To hallow the Sabbath was to treat as holy what God had appointed as holy.
They shall be a sign between me and you means the Sabbath marked Israel as the LORD’s sanctified covenant people.
That ye may know that I am the LORD your God shows that obedience to the covenant sign taught Israel who God was and who they were in relation to Him. The Sabbath was not only rest. It was theology enacted in time.
6. Ezekiel 20:21-24, God’s further mercy to Israel in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:21, Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me, they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them, they polluted my sabbaths, then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:22, Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
Ezekiel 20:23, I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries,
Ezekiel 20:24, Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.
Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me shows the tragedy of repeated sin. Even the next generation, warned not to follow their fathers, also rebelled. The problem was not merely one generation. It was a heart problem in the nation.
They walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them means they had the command but refused obedience. God’s standards were clear. Their rebellion was willful.
They polluted my sabbaths again shows contempt for the covenant sign. Their disobedience was not limited to one area. It touched worship, life, and covenant identity.
Then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them means this second wilderness generation also deserved judgment. God’s wrath would have been righteous.
Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake repeats the mercy pattern. God’s raised hand of judgment was withdrawn. He acted for His own name, preserving Israel so that His reputation would not be profaned among the nations.
I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen refers to the covenant warning that continued rebellion would lead to dispersion among the nations. The exile in Ezekiel’s day was not a surprise. It had already been warned in Moses.
Deuteronomy 4:27, And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
Deuteronomy 28:64, And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other, and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Deuteronomy 28:65, And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest, but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
Deuteronomy 28:66, And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee, and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
Deuteronomy 28:67, In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even, and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning, for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deuteronomy 28:68, And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again, and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes gives the reason for scattering. Israel did not merely make mistakes. They despised God’s statutes.
Their eyes were after their fathers’ idols shows that the children repeated the heart direction of their fathers. They had been warned not to walk in the statutes of their fathers, yet their eyes and desires still followed the old idols.
7. Ezekiel 20:25-26, In His judgment, God allows Israel to suffer the consequences of their sin.
Ezekiel 20:25, Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live,
Ezekiel 20:26, And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good means God judicially gave Israel over to the corrupt ways they desired. Since they rejected His good statutes, He allowed them to live under the destructive customs, religious systems, and moral laws of the nations. This is judgment by abandonment.
God does not become the author of evil. Rather, He gives rebellious people over to the consequences of the evil they choose. Sin becomes its own punishment.
This same principle appears in the New Testament.
Romans 1:24, Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour-their own bodies between themselves:
Romans 1:26, For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural-use into that which is against nature:
Romans 1:28, And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to-a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Judgments whereby they should not live means the way of idolatry produces death, not life. God’s statutes were the path of life under the covenant. The statutes of the nations, with their idols and abominations, could not give life.
I polluted them in their own gifts means God allowed their offerings to become instruments of defilement because they were given to idols. Their ritual gifts did not cleanse them. They polluted them further.
They caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb refers to child sacrifice. Israel’s idolatry became so dark that they offered their firstborn to false gods. This was one of the most horrible expressions of their rebellion.
2 Kings 16:3, But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the-fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
2 Kings 21:6, And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with-familiar spirits and wizards, he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
2 Kings 23:10, And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man-might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
That I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD shows that even this severe judgment had a revelatory purpose. God allowed them to taste the horror of the idolatry they chose so that its end would expose the truth. The gods they followed could not give life. The LORD alone is God.
B. God’s mercy to disobedient Israel in the Promised Land.
1. Ezekiel 20:27-28, Israel’s idolatry in the Promised Land.
Ezekiel 20:27, Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
Ezekiel 20:28, For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering, there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me means Israel continued insulting and dishonoring the LORD even after He brought them into the land. Their sin was not only rebellion. It was blasphemy, because it misrepresented God and treated His covenant grace with contempt.
They have committed a trespass against me shows covenant treachery. Israel sinned against the One who had rescued them, chosen them, sworn to them, guided them, spared them, and planted them in the land.
When I had brought them into the land highlights God’s faithfulness. Despite Israel’s rebellion in Egypt and the wilderness, God brought the next generation into the land He had promised.
For the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them again reminds them that the land was oath bound. Canaan belonged to Israel because God swore it to the fathers. Their possession of the land was not luck, conquest alone, or national achievement. It was covenant fulfillment.
Then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees shows that once in the land, Israel immediately encountered the places associated with Canaanite worship. High hills and thick trees became attractive places for idolatrous sacrifice.
They offered there their sacrifices means Israel used the land God gave them to worship false gods. This was vile ingratitude. The very hills and trees of the Promised Land became stages for rebellion.
There they presented the provocation of their offering means their offerings provoked the LORD. Worship is not acceptable merely because it is sincere or religious. Offerings given to idols provoke God’s anger.
There also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings shows that they gave to idols the worship that belonged to the LORD. Sacrifice, incense, and drink offerings were redirected from covenant worship to pagan abomination.
2. Ezekiel 20:29-32, God refuses to speak to an Israel that will not listen to Him.
Ezekiel 20:29, Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.
Ezekiel 20:30, Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?
Ezekiel 20:31, For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day, and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
Ezekiel 20:32, And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
What is the high place whereunto ye go? exposes Israel’s idolatrous worship. The Hebrew term Bamah means high place. The name became associated with places of false worship, even when not literally located on a high elevation.
Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? brings the historical review into the present. God is not merely describing ancient history. He is confronting the elders before Ezekiel. Their fathers’ sins were mirrored in their own lives.
Commit ye whoredom after their abominations? describes idolatry as spiritual adultery. Israel was bound to the LORD in covenant, yet she pursued idols. This continues the language of Ezekiel 16, where Jerusalem was portrayed as the unfaithful wife.
For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire shows that the same sins continued into Ezekiel’s day. They offered religious gifts and practiced child sacrifice. Their worship was corrupt and murderous.
Ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day means nothing had truly changed. The elders came to inquire of the LORD, but the nation still polluted itself with idols.
And shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? returns to the original issue. The elders wanted a word from God while remaining in rebellion. God refuses to be consulted by those who refuse to obey Him.
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you repeats the oath bound refusal from verse 3. God’s silence is judgment. When men despise what God has already spoken, they have no right to demand fresh revelation.
We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone reveals what was in their hearts. Some among the exiles wanted assimilation. They wanted to become like the nations, serving idols of wood and stone. They viewed exile as an opportunity to blend into pagan culture and escape covenant responsibility.
And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all is God’s answer. Israel would not be allowed to disappear into the nations. God would not permit His covenant people to erase their identity through assimilation. He would rule over them, judge them, purge them, and restore them according to His purpose.
3. Ezekiel 20:33-36, God’s strong promise of restoration.
Ezekiel 20:33, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
Ezekiel 20:34, And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
Ezekiel 20:35, And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
Ezekiel 20:36, Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.
As I live, saith the Lord GOD introduces another solemn oath. Israel may intend to become like the nations, but God swears that He will not allow it. His covenant purpose will stand.
With a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you uses Exodus language, but now applied to God’s future rule over His scattered people. The same divine power that delivered Israel from Egypt will be used to govern, correct, and reclaim Israel from exile.
I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered promises regathering. God had scattered Israel for sin, but He would also gather them by sovereign power. The dispersion would not be the end of the nation.
With a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out shows that restoration includes judgment and correction. This is not sentimental restoration. God will gather Israel and confront Israel. He will not bring them back unchanged and rebellious.
I will bring you into the wilderness of the people pictures a new wilderness experience among the nations. Just as God dealt with Israel after Egypt in the wilderness, He will deal with Israel after exile in a wilderness of the peoples. The wilderness is a place of testing, confrontation, separation, and covenant dealing.
There will I plead with you face to face means God will bring His case directly against them. This is not merely tender intimacy. It is direct confrontation. Israel will have to face the LORD and the truth of her sin.
Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you shows that future restoration follows the pattern of the Exodus. God brings out, confronts, tests, purges, and then brings into covenant blessing.
4. Ezekiel 20:37-38, God promises correction and covenant.
Ezekiel 20:37, And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
Ezekiel 20:38, And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me, I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
I will cause you to pass under the rod uses the image of a shepherd examining and counting his flock. The rod is used to identify, inspect, and separate. God will not restore Israel carelessly. He will bring His people under His searching authority.
Jeremiah uses similar shepherd imagery for counting the flock.
Jeremiah 33:13, In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south,-and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall-the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the LORD.
I will bring you into the bond of the covenant means God will restore Israel to covenant relationship. This points beyond the immediate return from Babylon to the fuller covenant restoration promised elsewhere in Ezekiel. God will not merely gather Israelites geographically. He will bring them under covenant authority and blessing.
I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me shows that restoration includes separation. Not every person brought out from the nations will enter the blessing of the land. Rebels will be purged.
This has a partial fulfillment in the return from Babylon, where God preserved and restored a remnant. It also points forward to the future regathering and kingdom age, when rebels will be removed and the redeemed nation will enter covenant blessing under Messiah.
Ezekiel 36:24, For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will-bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean, from all your filthiness, and-from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Ezekiel 36:26, A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I-will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27, And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye-shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:28, And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be my people,-and I will be your God.
I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel means the rebels may be brought out for judgment, but not into inheritance. This recalls the wilderness generation that came out of Egypt but did not enter Canaan because of unbelief.
And ye shall know that I am the LORD gives the purpose. God will reveal Himself in purging as well as restoration. His mercy is holy mercy. His covenant faithfulness does not ignore rebellion.
C. God reveals Himself in restoration and mercy.
1. Ezekiel 20:39, A challenge to choose Yahweh or the idols.
Ezekiel 20:39, As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD, Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me, but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
As for you, O house of Israel brings the message to a direct challenge. After recounting Israel’s rebellion in Egypt, the wilderness, and the land, the LORD confronts the present generation.
Go ye, serve ye every one his idols is not divine approval of idolatry. It is a judicial challenge. If Israel insists on idols, then let them stop pretending to worship the LORD at the same time. God exposes the absurdity and wickedness of divided worship.
If ye will not hearken unto me shows that the real issue is obedience. The LORD does not want religious gifts from hearts that refuse His voice.
Pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols means syncretism profanes God’s name. Bringing gifts to the LORD while serving idols does not honor Him. It pollutes His holy name. God demands undivided loyalty.
This is similar in principle to the Lord’s rebuke of lukewarmness in Revelation.
Revelation 3:15, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would thou wert cold or hot.
Revelation 3:16, So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of-my mouth.
God’s people must not try to blend covenant worship with idolatry. The LORD would rather expose their rebellion than receive polluted worship from divided hearts.
2. Ezekiel 20:40-41, Gathered again to properly worship God.
Ezekiel 20:40, For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me, there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
Ezekiel 20:41, I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered, and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
In mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel points to restored worship in the land, centered in the place God appoints. The holy mountain is the place of true worship, in contrast to the corrupt high places where Israel worshipped idols.
There shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me promises a future in which Israel serves the LORD acceptably. This had a partial fulfillment after the return from Babylon, when the temple was rebuilt and sacrifice restored. Yet the language also points forward to the fuller restoration of Israel under the New Covenant and messianic kingdom.
There will I accept them reverses the earlier refusal. God would not be inquired of by hypocritical elders, and He would not accept polluted worship. But in restoration, He will accept His people and their worship.
There will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things means restored worship will be ordered by God. Israel will not worship according to idols, high places, or self-will. They will bring what God requires.
I will accept you with your sweet savour presents restored Israel as pleasing to the LORD. What had once provoked Him will be replaced by worship He accepts.
When I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered again ties restoration to regathering. Israel’s future is not assimilation into the nations. God will bring them out and gather them.
I will be sanctified in you before the heathen means the nations will see the holiness of God through His dealings with Israel. Judgment had displayed His holiness, and restoration will also display His holiness. The nations will know that the LORD is faithful, holy, merciful, and sovereign.
3. Ezekiel 20:42-44, God revealed in His restoration and mercy.
Ezekiel 20:42, And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
Ezekiel 20:43, And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
Ezekiel 20:44, And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel means restoration will reveal God as surely as judgment did. The return to the land is not merely political or national. It is theological. It declares that the LORD keeps His oath.
Into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers connects restoration to the Abrahamic covenant. The land remained tied to Israel because God swore it to the fathers. Israel’s disobedience brought exile from the land, but it did not erase God’s covenant promise concerning the land.
Genesis 15:18, In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I-given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
There shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled means restoration will bring confession, not pride. Israel will remember her sin rightly. To remember here is not merely to recall facts. It is to acknowledge guilt and accept responsibility.
Ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed shows the humility that true restoration produces. Grace does not cause Israel to excuse her sins. Grace causes her to hate them. A restored people will see their own evil in the light of God’s mercy.
When I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings gives the great mercy principle of the chapter. If God dealt with Israel only according to her ways, she would be destroyed. But God acts for His name’s sake. His mercy is grounded in His own glory, oath, covenant, and purpose.
This is why Israel’s history is both humbling and hopeful. Their sin is real. Their guilt is undeniable. But God’s name, promise, and covenant faithfulness are greater than their corruption.
D. Judgment like a forest fire.
1. Ezekiel 20:45-48, Judgment on the forest of the south.
Ezekiel 20:45, Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 20:46, Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field,
Ezekiel 20:47, And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree, the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
Ezekiel 20:48, And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it, it shall not be quenched.
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me introduces a final image of judgment. In the Hebrew arrangement, this section is closely connected to what follows in Ezekiel 21. It presents Judah as a forest ready to burn.
Set thy face toward the south means Ezekiel is to direct his prophecy toward Judah and Jerusalem, south of Babylon where Ezekiel lived. The repetition of southward language intensifies the focus. The judgment is aimed at the southern kingdom.
Prophesy against the forest of the south field pictures Judah as a forest. Jerusalem and Judah were full of people like a forest is full of trees. Yet this forest is ready for fire.
Hear the word of the LORD means even the forest image is under divine authority. Judah must hear that the coming fire is not random war. It is the word and judgment of the LORD.
Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee means God Himself will ignite the judgment. Babylon will be the human instrument, but the LORD is the One who kindles the fire.
It shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree means the judgment will be widespread and devastating. The dry tree is obviously ready to burn, but even the green tree will be consumed. In the coming Babylonian destruction, both the clearly wicked and the relatively righteous will suffer the national catastrophe. Temporal judgment on a nation often affects many within that nation.
The flaming flame shall not be quenched means the judgment will not be stopped by human power. Once God kindles the fire, no one will be able to extinguish it.
All faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein shows the breadth of the judgment. From one end to the other, the land will feel the scorching force of divine wrath.
All flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it gives the purpose. The judgment will be visible and undeniable. The nations will see that the fall of Judah is not merely Babylonian ambition. It is the LORD’s doing.
It shall not be quenched repeats the certainty. The fire will burn until God’s purpose is accomplished.
2. Ezekiel 20:49, The prophet’s complaint.
Ezekiel 20:49, Then said I, Ah Lord GOD, they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?
Ah Lord GOD shows Ezekiel’s burden. He knows the people are not receiving the message. He is not indifferent to their resistance. He brings the matter to the LORD.
They say of me, Doth he not speak parables? means the people dismissed Ezekiel’s message by claiming it was too figurative or difficult. This was not honest confusion. It was resistance. Men often call God’s word unclear when the real problem is that they dislike what it says.
The irony is that Ezekiel’s parables were not meant to hide truth from the willing, but to expose truth memorably. The people were not unable to understand. They were unwilling to receive. The very next chapter will make the sword judgment even more direct.
Ezekiel 20 is a sweeping indictment of Israel’s past and present rebellion, but it is also one of the strongest testimonies to God’s mercy for His name’s sake. Israel rebelled in Egypt, rebelled in the wilderness, rebelled in the land, and even in exile still entertained idolatry and assimilation. Yet the LORD did not make an end of them. He acted for His name’s sake, promised to rule over them, gather them, purge the rebels, restore true worship, and bring them back into the land promised to their fathers. The chapter teaches that God’s mercy is not sentimental weakness. It is holy, covenant mercy that judges sin, preserves His name, purges rebellion, and restores His people according to His own sovereign purpose.
