Ezekiel 20

• In the seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, five more years remained before Jerusalem's destruction.

• The leaders (literally elders) of Israel, who were the community's elders in exile, came to Ezekiel again, seeking a message from the Lord (compare Ezekiel 8:1; 14:1).

  Normally, it is good to seek a message from the Lord. But these leaders had already been judged because their motives were divided (see Ezekiel 14). They did not truly seek God with sincere hearts.

  Because of this, the Lord refused to answer them. The text does not record the question they planned to ask Ezekiel. It is possible they never had the chance to ask it.

The Lord refused to answer their question. But this did not mean he had nothing to say.

Instead, God gave them a different message through Ezekiel. Ezekiel would describe the sinful and detestable actions of their ancestors. He would place these past sins clearly before the people.

Each generation of Israelites rebelled against the Lord. They refused to obey the commandments he gave them.

Each time, the Lord warned that he would pour out his fury (his strong anger) on them (Ezekiel 20:8, 13, 21). But he held back his judgment. He did this for the honor of his name.

If he had destroyed them, the surrounding nations might have thought he was too weak to bring his people into the promised land.

Israel had a long history of refusing to obey the Lord’s decrees and regulations. Because of this, God decided to scatter them among the nations. He sent them away from their land and spread them among many different peoples.

I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances … I pronounced them unclean: This means that the Lord allowed the people of Israel to follow their own sinful desires. He did not stop them from choosing false worship and harmful practices.

They took part in the complex and corrupt rituals of paganism (the worship of false gods). As a result, they suffered the painful consequences of their sins (see Romans 1:18–25).

The Israelites even offered their firstborn children as sacrifices to the god Molech. This was a terrible sin.

This action reversed what God had done in the exodus. At that time, the Lord called Israel his “firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). He rescued them from slavery so they could worship him in purity in the promised land.

Instead of honoring the Lord, they gave their children to a false god. Their actions showed how far they had turned away from him.

When they reached the promised land, the people of Israel continued to speak against and betray the Lord. Their idol worship and wickedness persisted until Ezekiel's time. The Lord would not answer such unfaithful people.

• In the past, Israel rebelled against God. Because of this, God judged them in limited ways. As a result, they were scattered among other nations again.

  However, judgment was not the end of the story. Earlier events in Israel’s history showed that God does not forget his promises. God’s own honor required him to keep his covenant with his people, even when they sinned.

• Israel could never become like the surrounding nations who worship idols made of wood and stone (Ezekiel 20:32). God had chosen Israel to belong to him. Because of this, he would gather them again.

  God said he would bring them into the wilderness, as he did in the first exodus from Egypt. This would be like a new exodus. But this was not only good news.

  After the first exodus, an entire generation died in the wilderness because of their sin. In the same way, God would judge this new generation. He would remove those who continued to rebel and refuse to obey him.

  Those rebels would not enter the land of Israel. The wilderness among the nations would become their final resting place.

The people of Israel might continue to worship idols for a time. However, in the end, they would worship God in spirit and in truth on his holy mountain (see Ezekiel 40–48, where the purified worship of God is restored in the temple). Jesus also spoke about worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:21–24).

God chose Israel to be a holy nation. His purpose in choosing them would not fail. In the end, his plan would stand.

The people would become like a pleasing sacrifice to God. This does not mean they would be killed. It means their lives would fully belong to him. Through them, God’s holiness would be clearly seen.

This new exodus would lead to pure worship. A purified people would offer that worship. God would save them by his sovereign grace (his rule and undeserved kindness).

Like a parable, this prophecy both reveals and conceals its message. People complain that the prophet only speaks in riddles (see Matthew 13:10–17). It reveals that a powerful judgment is coming. This judgment is described as an all-consuming fire. That means it is like a fire that burns up every tree.

• set your face toward the south (literally turn toward Teman): Teman was a town in Edom, southeast of Judah.

• The Negev was southwest of the Dead Sea.

A green tree usually does not burn easily, but a dry tree catches fire quickly. This judgment fire would be so intense that it would burn all types of trees.