Ezekiel 5
COMMENTARY:
: 6 And she has changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. (4784 “changed” [marah] means show rebellion, show disobedience, to be obstinate, to resist, to oppose and refractory.)
DEVOTION: Change is good sometimes. We were promised change in this country and it was not good. We are sometimes promised changes at our work place and that is sometimes not good. Many people are downsized from many companies. There has been a change in the price of gas in the last few days. That is not a good change.
When Ezekiel used the word he meant that the people of Judah were showing rebellion toward the LORD. They had looked at his statutes and judgments and said they don’t want any part of them.
So they just didn’t obey them. They made up their own rules to please themselves. There rules were exactly the opposite of what the LORD had instructed them to do.
So HE showed them through object lessons by Ezekiel what HE was going to do to them. HE used the hair on his head and beard to show them what was going to happen to Jerusalem.
Ezekiel was to cut his hair with a sharp knife. Then he was to divide the hair into three separate piles. One third was to be set on fire. One third was to be hit with a knife. The final third was to be scatter to the wind.
The people were rebelling against the laws of God. God doesn’t put up with rebellion. HE judges rebellion. If a nation doesn’t want to follow the laws of the Creator of the Universe, they will be judged.
The Bible defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman for life. It defines anything different as sin. If a nation wants to go against the laws of God they should expect judgment.
Remember HE is longsuffering but it doesn’t last forever. HE will judge any nation that rebels against HIS laws. We know that HIS laws were established to keep society functioning in a good manner. There has to be a standard. Once the standards are broken the nation fails.
CHALLENGE: Keep the standards of the Word of God and you will not fail in God’s sight. Churches need to keep the standards of the Word of God to not lose their candlestick. Nations need to keep the standards of the Word of God to not go into captivity.
: 8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I even I, am against you, and will execute judgements in the midst of you in the sight of the nations. (5869 “sight” [‘ayin] means eye, the range of the eye, presence, understanding as a mental perception, to be in a place in which others can observe, or outward appearance.)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants the world to see that HE deals with HIS people in a manner similar to HIS dealing with them. HE is not going to let HIS people sin and not judge them for it. HE is going to be consistent in HIS judgment of sin.
It is worst when HIS people sin because they are supposed to set the example for the rest of the LORD. They are supposed to be better than the rest of the world. They are supposed to be worshiping the LORD in spirit and in truth one hundred percent of the time.
We know that we can’t serve the LORD 100% of the time but we can confess our sins and HE is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. This is something that we can tell and show those who are not believers in our daily walk with the LORD.
We know that we are going to sin but we know we should confess them and ask the LORD to forgive and restore us to a proper relationship with HIM. If the world sees our confession and forgiveness, they will realize that we don’t claim to be sinless but sinners who have a walk with the LORD that is real. We are not faking that we are sinless but our goal is to sin less.
If we are a proper witness for the LORD confession is part of our daily walk with HIM and HIS forgiveness is part of that walk as well.
The world of Israel saw the LORD judge them for their sins which they were not willing to confess and change their behavior and they will see our sins and will see if we are willing to change our behavior.
CHALLENGE: What does the world see in the church and in our personal walk with the LORD? Do they see us confessing our sins and trying to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD or do they just see us as sinners who don’t care? They can tell the difference – can we?
: 11 Wherefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD; Surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and will all your abominations, therefore will I also diminish you; neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have any pity. (1639 “diminish” [gara‘] means take, restrain, keep back, withdraw, shave, trim, cut down, or cut off.)
DEVOTION: In the Old Testament the place of worship was the Temple that the LORD allowed Solomon to build. While the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness it was called the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. God gave the people a place that was HOLY for them to worship in since they left Egypt.
When people who were not priests entered the Tabernacle or Temple they were killed. It was a place that only the priests were to enter. However, it changed after Solomon’s time as there were many things done in the Temple that didn’t honor the HOLINESS of GOD. Here we find that the LORD is informing the people that HE knew what they were doing in HIS HOLY PLACE on earth in Jerusalem. HE was not pleased.
Today we are to worship the LORD in a local church on a regular basis. The churches that was established in the New Testament were to be places where those who were declared HOLY to enter each Sunday to worship the LORD. However, we find that those entering many places that are called churches enter with very little worship and their lives are not HOLY.
God wants HIS people to confess their sin and keep short accounts with HIM. This needs to be done daily. As those who are genuine believers enter a building called the church they are to act like they are HOLY because they have been declared to be HOLY by the LORD.
We are not to bring detestable things into the presence of the LORD. We are not to defile our bodies which are the TEMPLE of the LORD. We need to genuinely examine ourselves daily and confess our sin if we are to come together and truly worship the LORD. The children of Israel didn’t do it and the sad fact is that many of us don’t do it regularly either.
CHALLENGE: We need to examine our lives daily to stay in tune with the LORD, so that, when we come together, we act like individuals who genuinely love the LORD and each other.
: 15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about you, when I shall execute judgments in you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. (4148 “instruction” [muwcar] means discipline, warning, punishment, chastening, or correction.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was to use another object lesson to help teach the children of Israel that the LORD was going to fulfill HIS word of judgment.
This object lesson was included the use of his personal hair. He was to cut it and divide it into three groups. God was going to judge the nation in three different ways. HE wanted them to realize that HE was angry with the way they were treating HIS law and HIS sanctuary.
They would not listen to the prophets. They would not obey HIS commands or statutes or judgments. The world HAD to know that HE was a righteous God.
Therefore, HE had to chasten HIS people for the whole world to see. They were going to see Israel as an object that has low status or dishonor because of the way they treated the law of the LORD. They were going to be spoken about in an abusive manner. They were going to be a horror to look at when the LORD was done with them.
This was done, so that, they would learn from their sin. When the LORD disciplines HIS people it is always for their own good. HE wants them to correct their actions and start serving HIM in a proper manner. The chastening of the LORD is for HIS children’s education. Sometimes they learned and sometimes they didn’t listen and needed further chastening.
The world sees our obedience and our disobedience. If we remain disobedient, HE has to do something to protect HIS good name. HE promises blessings to those who are obedient. HE promises rebukes to those who disobey. HE keeps it very simple.
Each day we have to make a choice. Each day we have to take up our cross and follow HIM. Does this mean that our relationship is based on our works? NO! Our relationship is based on the blood of Christ on the cross for our salvation. It means that our fellowship with HIM is based on our obedience.
Are we being obedient today? Each day is a new day with HIM!!! HIS mercies are NEW every morning!!! Praise HIS name!!
CHALLENGE: Warnings are on every side of us that HE is not pleased with our disobedience. HE can make HIS point on any nation at any time. Pray for revival in your nation!!)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sanctuaryverse 11
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Judgmentsverses 6-8, 10
Statutesverses 6, 7
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner)verses 5, 7, 8, 11
GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 5, 7, 8, 11
Lord GOD verses 5, 7, 8, 11
Judgments of LORDverses 6, 8, 10, 11, 15
I, even I, am against you (Israel)verse 8
I will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nationsverse 8
I will execute judgmetns in you, and the whole remnant of you will I scatter into all the windsverse 10
I also will diminish you neither shall mine eye spare
Neither will I have any pityverse 11
I will draw out a sword after themverse 12
God’s spoken wordverses 15, 17
Anger of the LORDverses 13, 15
My fury shall rest upon Israelverse 13
LORD – Jehovahverses 13, 15, 17
I the LORD have spoken it in MY zealverse 13
I have accomplished MY fury in themverse 13
I will make (Israel) waste and a reproach among the nationsverse 14
I shall execute judgments in Israel in anger and in fury and in furious rebukesverse 15
I the LORD have spoken itverse 15
I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destructionverses 16, 17
I will send upon them evil beasts pestilence and bloodverse 17
I the bring the sword upon youverse 17
I the LORD have spoken itverse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nations and countriesverses 5-8, 14, 15
Judgments of the nationsverse 7
Judgment of Israel in the sight of the nationsverse 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wickednessverse 6
Refused judgments of Godverse 6
Not walked in judgments and statutesverses 6, 7
Abominationsverses 9, 11
Defiled sanctuaryverse 11
Detestable thingsverse 11
Astonishmentverse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Reproachverse 15
Instructionverse 15
Rebukeverse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekielverse 1
Told to take a sharp knife and barber’s
razor to his head and then
divide the hair
Then burn with fire 1/3 part in city
Then take another 1/3 and smite with
knife
Then take another 1/3 scatter in the wind
Also take a few in number and bind them
in your skirts – then cast them in
the midst of the fireverses 1-4
House of Israelverse 4
Jerusalemverse 5
Has changed MY judgments into wickednessverse 6
Fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of youverse 10
Sons shall eat their fathersverse 10
Whole remnantverse 10
A third shall die with the pestilence and famineverses 12, 16, 17
A third will die of swordverses 12, 17
A third will be scattered to the windverse 12
Israel will be a reproach and a taunt, an
instruction and an astonishment unto
the nationsverse 15
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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