Ezekiel Chapter 22
Ezekiel 22
The Bloody City and the Judgment to Come Upon It
Ezekiel 22 exposes Jerusalem as the bloody city. The city that should have been holy had become violent, idolatrous, sexually corrupt, oppressive, greedy, and spiritually polluted. The LORD lays out the guilt of Jerusalem, then pictures the city as a furnace where Israel’s dross will be melted in judgment. The chapter ends by indicting every level of society: prophets, priests, princes, and people. No class is clean. No leadership group stands faithful. God searched for a man to build the wall and stand in the gap, but found none. Therefore, judgment would come. The uploaded notes emphasize Jerusalem’s bloodguilt, the sins of her leaders and people, the furnace of judgment, and the tragic absence of a man to intercede for the land.
A. The corruption of Jerusalem and her leaders.
1. Ezekiel 22:1-5, The guilt and the judgment of Jerusalem, the bloody city.
Ezekiel 22:1, Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 22:2, Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.
Ezekiel 22:3, Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.
Ezekiel 22:4, Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made, and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years, therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
Ezekiel 22:5, Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.
Wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? is a double call for Ezekiel to bring formal accusation against Jerusalem. The city is not called the holy city here, nor the beautiful city, nor the city of David, but the bloody city. This is a devastating title. Jerusalem had become known by her violence, injustice, and disregard for human life.
Thou shalt shew her all her abominations means Ezekiel must expose the full range of Jerusalem’s sins. The city was guilty not only of bloodshed, but also of idolatry and moral defilement. God does not deal in vague accusations. He names the sins that brought judgment.
The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it shows that bloodguilt was not hidden on the outskirts. Violence was in the city’s own midst. The place where justice should have been administered had become a place of murder, oppression, and judicial corruption.
Many centuries later Stephen would also speak of Jerusalem’s bloodguilt in persecuting the prophets.
Acts 7:52, Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of-the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Jerusalem’s guilt was especially serious because she had the law, the temple, the priesthood, and the prophets. Pagan cities were guilty for their violence, but Jerusalem sinned against greater light.
The phrase bloody city also recalls the judgment language used against Nineveh.
Nahum 3:1, Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
For Jerusalem to be spoken of in language similar to Nineveh shows how far she had fallen. The covenant city had become like the pagan city.
Maketh idols against herself to defile herself shows that Jerusalem’s idolatry was self-destructive. Idols did not help her. They defiled her. She made them with her own hands and then was polluted by them. Idolatry always turns against the idolater.
Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed means Jerusalem’s own violence brought guilt upon her. God did not invent charges against the city. Her guilt came from her own deeds.
And hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made repeats the spiritual cause of her pollution. Violence and idolatry went together. Once the people forgot God, human life became cheap, justice was corrupted, and worship became abomination.
Thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years means Jerusalem brought judgment closer by her own sin. God had been patient over generations, but the city filled up the measure of guilt. The end of her years had come.
Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries shows that the nations would not admire Jerusalem in her fall. They would mock her. The city that should have displayed the glory of God would become a reproach because of sin.
Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee means Jerusalem’s shame would be known widely. Neighboring nations and distant nations alike would hear of her collapse.
Which art infamous and much vexed describes Jerusalem as polluted in reputation and full of disorder. Sin had made her infamous before the nations and troubled within herself.
2. Ezekiel 22:6-12, The many sins of Israel and her princes.
Ezekiel 22:6, Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.
Ezekiel 22:7, In thee have they set light by father and mother, in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger, in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.
Ezekiel 22:8, Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.
Ezekiel 22:9, In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood, and in thee they eat upon the mountains, in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.
Ezekiel 22:10, In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness, in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.
Ezekiel 22:11, And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife, and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law, and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.
Ezekiel 22:12, In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood, thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.
Behold, the princes of Israel moves the accusation from the city generally to its leaders specifically. The rulers should have protected justice and righteousness, but they had become leaders in bloodshed.
Every one were in thee to their power to shed blood means each prince used his power for violence. Authority was given to serve, protect, and judge righteously, but they used it for oppression, murder, and self-interest. When leaders become violent and corrupt, the whole city suffers.
In thee have they set light by father and mother means they treated parents with contempt. This violated the commandment of God and showed the breakdown of family order.
Exodus 20:12, Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy-God giveth thee.
The same command is repeated to believers in the New Testament.
Ephesians 6:1, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Ephesians 6:2, Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
Ephesians 6:3, That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
The irony is sharp. God promised long days in the land to those who honored father and mother, but Jerusalem dishonored this command and was about to be removed from the land.
In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger shows that the vulnerable foreigner was abused. Israel had been commanded to remember their own history as strangers in Egypt and treat strangers with justice.
Exodus 22:21, Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow shows abuse of those God repeatedly commands His people to protect. The fatherless and widow had little social power, so corrupt leaders preyed on them instead of defending them.
Exodus 22:22, Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
Exodus 22:23, If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear-their cry;
Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths shows that their sins were not only social but directly against God. They treated holy things as common and the Sabbaths as unimportant. To despise what God calls holy is to despise God Himself.
In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood refers to slander, false accusation, and testimony that leads to death. Words were used as weapons. Corrupt speech became part of corrupt courts and violent outcomes.
In thee they eat upon the mountains refers to idolatrous meals connected with high places. Jerusalem’s sin was religious as well as moral.
In the midst of thee they commit lewdness introduces the sexual corruption of the city. The LORD lists sins that show the breakdown of God’s moral boundaries.
In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness refers to sexual sin within forbidden family relations. This language is used in Leviticus to describe unlawful sexual relationships.
Leviticus 18:7, The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is-thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
In thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution refers to violating a woman during her menstrual impurity, which was forbidden under the Mosaic law.
Leviticus 18:19, Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put-apart for her uncleanness.
Leviticus 20:18, And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness;-he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall-be cut off from among their people.
One hath committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife means adultery was present among them.
Leviticus 18:20, Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.
Another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law refers to incestuous sexual sin.
Leviticus 18:15, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou-shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter again shows incest and violation of God’s law.
Leviticus 18:9, The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she-be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood means bribery corrupted justice and led to death. Judges and leaders took payments to condemn the innocent or protect the guilty.
Thou hast taken usury and increase means they exploited others financially, especially the needy. This violated the law’s restrictions on charging interest to fellow Israelites in distress.
Exodus 22:25, If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be-to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
Deuteronomy 23:19, Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury-of any thing that is lent upon usury:
Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion shows predatory economic behavior. The people used power and pressure to enrich themselves at others’ expense.
And hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD is the root of the entire list. They forgot God. Once the LORD is forgotten, every restraint collapses. Family is dishonored, strangers are oppressed, widows and orphans are abused, holy things are despised, Sabbaths are profaned, courts are corrupted, sex is perverted, and money becomes a weapon. Forgetting God opens the path into every abomination.
3. Ezekiel 22:13-16, God beats His fists against Jerusalem’s corrupt leaders.
Ezekiel 22:13, Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.
Ezekiel 22:14, Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it.
Ezekiel 22:15, And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.
Ezekiel 22:16, And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain pictures the LORD striking His hand in anger and disgust. The corrupt leaders and people had enriched themselves through oppression, bribery, and bloodshed. God was not indifferent to their profit. He hated the dishonest gain because it was joined to violence.
And at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee again emphasizes bloodguilt. Jerusalem was bloody in her own midst. The city that should have been a place of righteousness had become a place of death.
Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? asks whether they can stand when God Himself rises to judge. They may have been strong against the poor, strong against the stranger, strong against the widow, and strong against the weak, but they would not be strong against the LORD.
I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it gives the certainty of judgment. God’s word is not a threat He cannot carry out. He speaks and He acts.
I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries announces exile. Jerusalem’s sins would not only bring local suffering. They would lead to national scattering among the nations.
This scattering had been warned in the covenant curses.
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.
And will consume thy filthiness out of thee shows that judgment would also have a purging purpose. God would use exile to burn away defilement. Israel’s outward idolatry would be broken through the severe discipline of exile.
Thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen is difficult, but the sense is that Jerusalem would bear her own shame and defilement before the nations. She would be exposed for what she had become.
And thou shalt know that I am the LORD gives the repeated purpose. They would know God by His judgments because they refused to know Him by His mercies.
B. The furnace of judgment.
1. Ezekiel 22:17-19, Gathering into God’s furnace of judgment.
Ezekiel 22:17, And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 22:18, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace, they are even the dross of silver.
Ezekiel 22:19, Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
The house of Israel is to me become dross means Israel, once regarded as God’s special treasure, had become like worthless impurity in the refining process. Dross is the slag, the waste material separated from precious metal. The image is severe. Israel had become corrupt through sin and rebellion.
Israel was supposed to be God’s treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5, Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be-a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
But through rebellion, the people became dross.
All they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace pictures common metals mixed with impurity. Instead of pure silver, the house of Israel had become base and corrupted.
They are even the dross of silver means what should have been precious had become waste. This same image appears in Isaiah’s rebuke of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 1:21, How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it;-but now murderers.
Isaiah 1:22, Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem means God would gather the people into the city as metal is gathered into a furnace. Many would flee to Jerusalem for safety when Babylon invaded, but in God’s purpose they were being gathered into the furnace of judgment.
2. Ezekiel 22:20-22, The judgment of melting in God’s furnace.
Ezekiel 22:20, As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the-furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and-in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
Ezekiel 22:21, Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall-be melted in the midst thereof.
Ezekiel 22:22, As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst-thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.
As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace continues the smelting image. Jerusalem becomes the furnace, and the people become the mixed metal placed inside.
To blow the fire upon it, to melt it pictures the intensifying of judgment. A refiner blows upon the fire to increase heat. The LORD says He will do the same in His anger and fury.
So will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you means Jerusalem’s siege would not be a place of safety. It would be the furnace of divine wrath. The people would be gathered, enclosed, and melted under judgment.
I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath shows God’s direct involvement. Babylon would burn Jerusalem, but the LORD would be the One blowing upon the fire.
Ye shall be melted in the midst thereof means the people would be broken down under the heat of judgment. Their pride, false security, and corruption would be exposed and consumed.
Yet there is also a glimmer of hope in the furnace image. Metal is refined because something precious may be reclaimed. Fire destroys dross, but it also purifies silver. God’s judgment on Jerusalem would be terrible, but it would also serve His purifying purpose.
Isaiah 1:25, And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all-thy tin:
Zechariah 13:9, And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined,-and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:-I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you again gives the purpose. The furnace would reveal the LORD. They would know His holiness, His justice, and His refusal to leave sin unjudged.
C. The sins of prophets, priests, princes, and people.
1. Ezekiel 22:23-25, The sin of Israel’s prophets.
Ezekiel 22:23, And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 22:24, Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
Ezekiel 22:25, There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls, they have taken the treasure and precious things, they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
Thou art the land that is not cleansed means the whole land was defiled. Israel’s corruption was not superficial. It needed cleansing. The coming judgment and exile would serve as part of God’s purifying work.
Nor rained upon in the day of indignation may point to the withholding of blessing. Rain was one of the covenant blessings for obedience, and its absence was a sign of divine displeasure.
Deuteronomy 11:13, And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command-you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with-all your soul,
Deuteronomy 11:14, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and-the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Deuteronomy 11:16, Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other-gods, and worship them;
Deuteronomy 11:17, And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be-no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land-which the LORD giveth you.
There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof indicts the false prophets. They were not isolated mistakes. They worked together in a shared pattern of deception, flattery, and false peace.
Like a roaring lion ravening the prey means the prophets were predators. They should have fed the people with truth, but instead they devoured them. They were not shepherds. They were lions tearing prey.
They have devoured souls means their false ministry destroyed people. Bad doctrine and false prophecy are not harmless. They lead souls into danger.
They have taken the treasure and precious things shows greed. The prophets used their position to gain wealth.
They have made her many widows in the midst thereof likely means their lies encouraged men to go into battles and courses of action contrary to God’s will, resulting in death and widows. False prophets who promise peace when God says judgment can multiply death.
This connects with Ezekiel’s earlier rebuke of false prophets who promised peace when there was no peace.
Ezekiel 13:10, Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and-one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
Ezekiel 13:16, To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her,-and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.
2. Ezekiel 22:26, The sin of Israel’s priests.
Ezekiel 22:26, Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the-holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes-from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
Her priests have violated my law means those appointed to guard and teach the law had themselves broken it. The priests were supposed to preserve knowledge and instruct the people, but their own lives were corrupt.
And have profaned mine holy things means they treated the sacred as common. This is especially serious because priests handled the temple service, sacrifices, and holy things. Their corruption made their ministry profane.
They have put no difference between the holy and profane describes one of their great failures. Priests were responsible to teach Israel the difference between what was holy and what was common, what was clean and what was unclean. They failed to preserve the boundaries God established.
After the death of Nadab and Abihu, the LORD gave this responsibility clearly.
Leviticus 10:10, And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
Leviticus 10:11, And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto-them by the hand of Moses.
Moses also spoke of Levi’s teaching role.
Deuteronomy 33:10, They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole-burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
Neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean means they did not teach moral, ceremonial, and covenant distinctions. When priests fail to teach distinction, the people lose discernment.
And have hid their eyes from my sabbaths means the priests ignored or neglected the Sabbaths. They acted as if they did not see what God had commanded.
And I am profaned among them is the result. The priests should have caused God’s name to be honored among the people. Instead, their corruption caused His name to be profaned.
3. Ezekiel 22:27-29, The sins of Israel’s princes, prophets, and people.
Ezekiel 22:27, Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy-souls, to get dishonest gain.
Ezekiel 22:28, And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying,-Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.
Ezekiel 22:29, The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy:-yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey means the rulers were predators. They should have acted like shepherds, protecting the flock. Instead, they were wolves, tearing, exploiting, and killing.
To shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain shows their motive and method. They shed blood and destroyed lives for profit. Their leadership was driven by greed.
Her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter repeats the image from Ezekiel 13. The false prophets whitewashed the corruption of the leaders instead of confronting it. They covered weakness with a surface coating that could not stand.
Seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them means their visions were empty and their divinations false. They gave spiritual approval to wicked leaders.
Saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken is the heart of their guilt. They used God’s name to authorize lies. This is a terrible sin. To claim divine authority for what God has not spoken deceives people and profanes His name.
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery shows that the corruption was not limited to leadership. The people imitated their leaders. The whole society was infected.
And have vexed the poor and needy means they oppressed those who should have been protected.
They have oppressed the stranger wrongfully repeats the earlier charge. The stranger had no strong social defense, and the people took advantage. From leaders to common landowners, the city was full of oppression.
This section shows complete social collapse. Prophets lied. Priests profaned. Princes devoured. People oppressed. When every layer of society is corrupt, judgment is near.
4. Ezekiel 22:30-31, The vain search for a man to stand in the gap.
Ezekiel 22:30, And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap-before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Ezekiel 22:31, Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath:-their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.
I sought for a man among them is one of the saddest statements in the chapter. God looked for someone among the people who would stand with courage, truth, righteousness, and intercession. The problem was not that God was unwilling to use such a man. The problem was that He found none.
That should make up the hedge connects with the wall imagery. The false prophets had built a weak wall with untempered mortar. God looked for a true man who would build strength, stability, and protection among the people.
And stand in the gap before me for the land means God sought an intercessor, someone who would stand between a holy God and a guilty land. To stand in the gap is to plead before God, to identify with the burden of the people, and to seek mercy.
Abraham stood in the gap by interceding for Sodom.
Genesis 18:23, And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Genesis 18:24, Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for-the fifty righteous that are therein?
Genesis 18:25, That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and-that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the-earth do right?
Moses stood in the gap for Israel after the golden calf.
Exodus 32:9, And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked-people:
Exodus 32:10, Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume-them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
Exodus 32:11, And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against-thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty-hand?
Exodus 32:12, Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them-in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and-repent of this evil against thy people.
Exodus 32:13, Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and-saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I-have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
Exodus 32:14, And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
David stood before the LORD when judgment came through pestilence.
2 Samuel 24:15, So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there-died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
2 Samuel 24:16, And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of-the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand.-And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Samuel 24:17, And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said,-Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine-hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.
2 Samuel 24:18, And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto-the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
Jeremiah also searched for a righteous man in Jerusalem, but found the city hardened.
Jeremiah 5:1, Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek-in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh-the truth, and I will pardon it.
Jeremiah 5:2, And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.
Jeremiah 5:3, O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not-grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a-rock; they have refused to return.
But I found none is the tragedy. There were godly people in Judah, such as Jeremiah, but there was no one in the position and role needed to turn the nation back, build the wall, and stand effectively in the gap for the land at that moment. The corruption had gone too far.
Yet the ultimate answer to this need is Jesus Christ. God found no man in Ezekiel’s day, but He provided the perfect Man in His Son. Christ is the true intercessor, the righteous One, the wall of salvation, and the One who stands between God and His people.
Hebrews 7:25, Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him,-seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
1 Timothy 2:5, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them means judgment could not be averted. Because the city was corrupt and no man stood in the gap, wrath would come.
I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath speaks as if the judgment has already happened because it is certain. The furnace and fire images return. Jerusalem will be consumed under divine judgment.
Their own way have I recompensed upon their heads means God’s judgment is righteous. He gives them according to their deeds. The bloody city receives the consequence of her bloodshed, idolatry, oppression, and corruption.
Ezekiel 22 is one of the clearest indictments of total societal corruption in Scripture. Jerusalem was guilty of bloodshed and idolatry. Her princes abused power. Her prophets devoured souls and lied in God’s name. Her priests violated the law and failed to distinguish holy from profane. Her people oppressed the poor, robbed, and mistreated the stranger. The root was that they had forgotten the LORD. God therefore gathered them into the furnace of judgment and searched for a man to stand in the gap, but found none. The chapter leaves Jerusalem condemned, but it also points forward to the only true Intercessor, Jesus Christ, who stands in the gap for His people and ever lives to make intercession for them.
